November/December 2008
Winter Wonderland & Parade of Lights:
Downtown San Rafael will once again commence the Holiday Season with the Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland on Friday, November 28th.
This will be the 29th Annual Parade of Lights in Downtown San Rafael and the 19th straight year of FREE SNOW SLEDDING on A Street between Fourth & Fifth Streets. For more information and the schedule of events click here:
www.sresproductions.com/san_rafael_parade_of_lights.html
San Rafael's Annual Winter Wonderland Window Display Contest:
The Business Improvement District (B.I.D.) is sponsoring the first annual holiday window contest for all Downtown Merchants. It does not cost to enter or participate and we are hoping the contest draws a lot of shoppers and diners to Fourth Street during the Holiday Season. The contest is being promoted in all of the parade of lights promotional material, including the poster and 4- ¼ page ads in the Pacific Sun. Windows must be decorated by November 28th and stay decorated until December 26th. The winners will be announced at the completion of the tree lighting ceremony on Friday, November 28th in The City Plaza. Grand prize winner will receive a feature ad in the B.I.D. Holiday Newspaper Advertisment and will be the trophy holder for one year. First prize winner will have lunch with Mayor Al Boro and City Manager Ken Nordhoff. Second prize winner will be the recipient of 3 months half price parking at a Downtown San Rafael Parking garage.
If you would like to participate please email Joanne Webster at director@downtownsanrafael.org
Free Validated Holiday Parking: 
The City of San Rafael will once again contribute to holiday cheer by providing Downtown merchants the opportunity to give their customers 3 hour parking validations. The validations will be redeemable in the two City garages located on 3rd and A and 3rd and C Streets. To accommodate the West End Village, the parking meters in the lot located at 1550 4th Street will also be provided with 3 hours free parking which will be enforced. The program will run from Thanksgiving Day through December 31st.
The goals of the program are to increase Downtown shopping during the holiday season, enhance relations between merchants and shoppers, and maintain turnover of on-street parking. The City Holiday Program began using validations as a means to discount parking for holiday shoppers in 2006. The program has expanded as citizens and businesses become more familiar with how a validation program works.
The Parking Services Division of the City of San Rafael, is looking to collaborating with Downtown businesses and the Business Improvement District (B.I.D.) to ensure that San Rafael residents and businesses enjoy another successful and bright holiday season!
Downtown San Rafael Walking Map: 
The Business Improvement District is proud to announce the completion of a free Downtown San Rafael Walking map. The map is designed to introduce visitors to the vibrant community that is Downtown San Rafael. Whether they have two hours or an entire weekend, our belief is that they will use the map to find that our city has something for everyone with many interesting events and activities, both day and night.
Our map and guide shows that San Rafael, Marin County’s oldest city, is a family-friendly city, an artistic city, a “green” city, and a lovely city of beautiful parks and historic buildings where residents are very involved in the life of the community. We have world class restaurants and unique owner-operated businesses that give our town its charming character. There is much to do here in Downtown; from the weekly Farmers’ Market with fresh organic produce where neighbors meet for food, entertainment and and family fun to the internationally- acclaimed Rafael Film Center for Independent Films. Visitors will find all the services necessary in the map to live the good life!
The map and guide was made possible by the generous dedication of time and energy by Art Works Downtown, The Folkart Gallery, illustrator Gary Kell and Inner Workings. Funding for this project was provided by Pacific Gas & Electric and the B.I.D.
We are currently distributing maps to every business owner in the Downtown area, all of the hotels in San Rafael, the Chamber of Commerce and the Marin County Visitor’s Bureau. We are also looking into the feasibility of Marin/Sonoma & Napa county wide hotel distribution.
For a brochure please stop by City Hall at 1414 Fifth Avenue or the Redevelopment Agency located at 1313 Fifth Avenue or call the B.I.D. office at 720-5591.
Local Bike Shop Does Good- In Africa:
Mike's Bikes, the largest independent bike dealer on the West Coast, has hit the ground rolling with their new Sister Shop in Gaborone, Botswana. Owners Ken Martin and Matt Adams, fresh from their recent bicycle philanthropy work in Ghana, overcame obstacles great and small to finally realize their goal of creating a self-sustaining source of affordable bicycle transportation in Botswana.
The idea for the Mike's Bikes Africa Sister Shop was born when Botswanan Red Cross worker Jon 'Bones' Moletsane was linked with Ken and Matt through an existing African bicycle philanthropy project. While these projects are well-intentioned, they fall short in the area of sustainability. Typically they collect bikes, donate them to a community, then leave. Because there is no supply chain of spare parts and no local bike shop to provide service, even a simple flat tire often leaves these bikes discarded on the side of the road.
As part of Mike's Bikes' vision that bicycles have the power to change the world, and because of the shortcomings they saw with other initiatives, the company made it their mission to create and fully fund a start-up bicycle store for Bones in Gabarone, Botswana. Ken and Matt decided they would educate him on how to sell and service bicycles, and how to run a successful business. This would make an impact on the community that was not only self-sustaining, but would actually grow organically and spread the use of the bicycle as reliable, affordable transportation in Gabarone as time went on.
The company asked its customers to get involved by donating to the Mike's Bikes Africa Bike Drive, and the Northern California cycling community rose to the task. Hundreds of customers donated bikes over a period of three months at all six Mike's Bikes stores, and the shop purchased a 40' shipping container to transport the bikes to Africa. Dynacraft Bikes also pitched in with a donation of 75 new rides. All in all, 406 bicycles were collected and packed into the shipping container with help from students from Oakland's College Preparatory School.
As the container of bikes completed its long journey, Ken and Matt, along with CPS of Oakland students and their chaperones, made their own trip to Botswana to help Bones create a bike shop where there once was none. A space that Ken and Matt had rented was outfitted and large boxes of donated parts and accessories were unpacked and displayed. Signage was ordered and installed. Marketing material was distributed to the public - by bike of course!
As soon as the container of bikes was unsealed on the morning of Sunday, July 13, it was apparent the Sister Shop would be a roaring success. Families noticed the sea of bikes on their way home from church, and Ken, Matt, and Bones were swarmed with shoppers as they unloaded the container. By the end of the day, 15 bikes had found new homes, and JonMol Cycle Services was born. An important final step was to establish relationships with distributors for Bones to reinvest his initial revenue in more inventory of bikes, parts and accessories. Ken and Matt used their contacts in South Africa to connect the two markets and a new supply chain was created.
Mike's Bikes and JonMol have been in constant contact since Ken and Matt's return to California. As with any new company, especially one in Africa, challenges, questions, and issues arise continuously, and Mike's Bikes has committed to mentoring Bones through to success. Since Ken and Matt have spent most of their careers in bicycle retail, their Sister Shop program is a perfect way to use their business skills and bicycle knowledge to affect positive change that is both long-lasting and self-sustaining. The Mike's Bikes Foundation is their new non-profit entity, and is currently applying for 501c(3) tax-exempt status. Best of all, the Sister Shop program is infinitely scalable. The search is currently under way for the next African entrepreneurs to start the next Sister Shops and expand the program to benefit as many communities as possible.
In a recent email conversation, Bones reported that business at JonMol Bicycle Services is doing very well and improving every day. "Many people seem to fall for the idea of bicycling," reports Bones. Everyone at Mike's Bikes couldn't be more thrilled to hear those words.