Computers, toys, screens, toasters, record players, hi-fi amplifiers, smartphones… Dozens of everyday objects await repair by their owners, guided by the members of L'Atelier Soudé. The association, already present at mobile recycling centers and social centers in the Métropole de Lyon, has relocated.
Its new premises in Villeurbanne will be inaugurated during the National Repair Days, from October 16th to 18th. These new spaces, twice as large and more welcoming, are the result of six months of work. They now allow for better reception of the public, including people with disabilities, simultaneous work on multiple stations (mechanics, electronics, textiles), and increased component storage.
An upstairs area has been dedicated to training. L'Atelier Soudé regularly trains technicians for resource centers and repair cafés, demonstrating its national reach.
With 70 active members and numerous volunteers, the association holds five weekly open sessions and nearly 300 workshops per year. Camille Bouchinet, an electrical engineering graduate and employee for three years, highlights the place's deeper significance: 'We can feel the need to reconnect with our objects because we don't know how they work. There's a satisfaction in learning to repair, while benefiting from a space of transmission, conviviality, and social diversity. A bit like our grandfathers' garages!'
The National Repair Days, which saw 50,000 participants in 2025, aim to make repair a daily reflex. For this 2026 edition, from October 16th to 18th, L'Atelier Soudé is offering textile and electronic repair sessions, Linux install parties, as well as games and activities throughout the weekend.
