Business & Tech
Business Spotlight: Re-Cyclery Thrift Shop
This thrift shop with bikes, parts, gear and clothing is so much more than a shop. It's a chance to help kids find their road to success.
610 4th Street
415-458-2986
www.tripsforkids.org/marin/recyclery.htm
What do they offer?
Re-Cyclery Thrift Shop has new and used bike parts, clothing and hard-to-find gear at thrift store prices. It’s a environmentally conscious way of keeping bikes, gear and clothing out of landfills. The shop is also home to the Trips For Kids® after-school and earn-a-bike programs, providing a healthy environment and job training for kids in San Rafael's Canal nieghborhood.
Who are they?
Marin resident Marilyn Price founded Trips For Kids® in 1988. It was an ideal way for her to combine her passions for social work and the environment. After working as a volunteer for the first 10 years, she continues to push forward in hopes of bringing more opportunities for at-risk kids to be involved in healthy, fun activities. There are 75 chapters of Trips For Kids®, including three in Canada and one in Israel.
How long have they been there?
The program has been in existence since 1988, the Re-Cyclery Thrift Shop opened in 1994 and the earn-a-bike program started in 1995.
Why are they in our business spotlight?
Re-Cyclery covers 60 percent of all Trips For Kids®' funding so shopping there is an opportunity to give back to those less fortunate, in the form of purchasing, donating product or volunteering time.
Trips for Kids® works with San Francisco Bay Area foster homes, community-based agencies and schools serving disadvantaged youth. Annually, 1,000 kids who may have never been across the Golden Gate Bridge get to experience weekly rides in Marin, Pt. Pinole and Golden Gate Park
The earn-a-bike and job training workshops have a facility in the Canal neighborhood and it is a great after-school and work program. It is a safe place for kids to go, they have the opportunity to interact with other youths, have ongoing support from adults and learn important job training skills. Kids earn credits towards bikes or parts, and a helmet, by completing lessons in bike mechanics and riding safety. Many youths in the program have gone on to be hired as earn-a-bike instructors or mechanics and sales staff at Re-Cyclery.
Did you know?
Marin residents are doing their part. Last year the total in-kind donation from local peeps totaled $300,000. Keep on supporting this great shop and non-profit organization by heading to the upcoming bi-annual where amazing deals at 25 to 50 percent off already killer prices can be found.
