Happy Holidays! + Big news

[Bikery Cicleria]

Fellow cyclists and friends,

Happy holidays!  We hope this has been a wonderful year for you and that 2014 will be even better! 

We want to share some news with you - good news and bad news. 

The Bad News:

To be completely open with you, the Bikery is really struggling financially right now.  We are a pretty bare-bones operation, but lately money has been especially tight, and in all honesty we do not know if we will be able to afford to keep our space. 

The Good News:

We just officially became a non-profit!  We are under the umbrella of Sustainable and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), an organization that supports small non-profits (CICLE is one of their projects as well!)  We have been working on this for a very long time, and we are very happy to be able to announce it. 

Thoughts and Goals:

We have had a lot of serious conversations lately about what our next steps should be.  We have some ideas, but there are also a lot of questions that remain, mainly, how much community support and involvement do/will we have?  We would like to choose a direction and move forward based on your input.  If it is important to you to have a bike collective in the valley we are asking for you to contribute what you can, whether that be ideas, time, bicycles, or money. 

Fundraising:
First to address the most urgent issue - funding.  We would like to celebrate the fact that we can now accept tax-deductible donations by accepting some tax-deductible donations!  If you are able to make a financial contribution, please consider doing so here.  After all, it is almost the end of the year...

Give the gift of Cycling

We also have some perks for you if you donate, and some great (very) last minute Christmas gifts! 

Get a Month membership to the Bikery with a $30 donation!

Get a Year membership to the Bikery with a $180 donation!

With a membership you will enjoy unlimited stand time and 10% off all purchases, plus with the year membership you also get a T-shirt!  If you would like to buy a membership as a Christmas gift for a special cyclist in your life we will email you the membership card asap.  More info

The year ahead:

One of the biggest challenges we currently face is lack of visibility - a lot of people simply don't know we're there.  We are working on outreach, and your ideas about how we can be more effective and how you can help are much appreciated.  One of our goals for the coming year, assuming we can raise enough money to stay open, is to move into a more visible, bigger space, ideally a storefront.  We feel this will enable us to better meet community needs and be more self-sustaining.  The idea of moving brings up an important question: Where?

If we were to move to a new location, where would you want it to be?  And how would you help make it a success?  Please take 30 seconds to share your thoughts:

Our other challenge is people power - we need more volunteers in order to be open more often.  If you are able to volunteer and are interested in learning more about bike maintenance, leading rides, or cooperative business please email us and let us know when you're available!  (it's fun too!)

And on a lighter and tastier note - By popular demand the Chocolate ride is coming back!  Save the date: Saturday February 8th - leisurely biking and serious sampling! :)

Thank you for all the support you have given us over the years, and for riding your bike in the valley! 

Cheers, 

Luis, Alex, Mark, Ayla, Clarke, Sharon, and Junu

Valley Bikery Chefs

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The Valley Bikery

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