When I was growing up there were travelling fix-it men who would go door to door and could repair nearly anything. Many had training as tinkers so they could fix holes in pots and pans. They always sharpened knives and scissors.
Until I was in my mid-adult years there were repair shops in cities with piles of electrical appliances in the window including vacuums, toasters, radios, TVs and sewing machines.
Where did this all go?
It disappeared for two reasons:
(1) Our whole world of commerce has become more of a hive. Few people can do other peoples' work. Technical skills are deeply embedded in every process from an espresso machine to a TV control unit. Virtually no one has the multiple technical skills to do many kinds of repairs. Auto repair people are trained in new technology as regularly as doctors.
(2) The Costco phenomenon. Costco exists because brand names have become so reliable, thanks to Japanese brands, that virtually nothing gets returned for poor quality. Before the rise of Japanese brands new products had so many defects that department stores couldn’t handle the volume of returned merchandise so they carried only a few brands where the product had been opened and inspected before being sold.
Costco’s and their imitators sell products in unopened boxes from shelves piled high. The quality is so high the boxes don't need to be opened. A tiny percent is returned, usually for non-quality reasons.
In Japan from 1965 to 1990, entire new Cadillacs had to be taken apart and reassembled by the new car dealers to make sure they met the Japanese standards of no defects.
Goodbye Mr. Fixit. We now buy new products for less than we used to pay for repairs.