A couple people this week asked me where they could get an electronic good repaired in Budapest. Generally repairs cost must less than purchasing a new item, and you help protect the environment. One of the best things about living in Eastern Europe is the continued existence of small repair shops. Although quickly diminishing in number, there are still quite a few small shops in Budapest, generally run by the elderly, that do necessary and quality repairs. An old woman at Greff Elektronika near Arany Janos Metro has been repairing my electronic goods for years - VCR, walkman, discman, dvd, electric razor, and now a cassette deck to play all those great mixed tapes friends gave me over the years (thanks Brian and David!).

Here are a few suggestions: Greff Elektronika (Bank u. 1, M-F 8-17, tel: 332-8083) for elektronic goods. Shoe repair with the old lady in the courtyard of Izabella u. 73 or 75, "Cipesz" (groundfloor across the courtyard). If you need your trousers taken up (felhajtas), zipper repaired, etc., cheap and quick tailoring can be had at the Farmer Klinika in the basement of Rakoczi ter Market (Rakoczi ter) - please note: he is on holiday all of August. There is also good zipper repair near Ferenciek tere in the courtyard by the church (czipzar).

Now the Hungarian Waste Working Group (HUMUSZ) has established an on-line database of repair shops in Hungary. It is in Hungarian, but if you enter the url into google translate it does a good job in translating the searchable database for you .You can search by item to be repaired and by city either on an interactive map or word search. The database lists, for example, places where you can repair the following items:

pram
computer equipment and laptops
garden equipment
luggage/bags
furniture
shoes
electronic equipment
mobile phones
knife sharpening
umbrella
cameras
musical instruments
domestic appliances
office machines
games
bicycles
book binding
jewellery
shutters/blinds
clothes
sports
sewing machines
water, gas, heating
zippers
consumer electronics
...