• GuideStar is a directory of non-profits that people use to help them find charities to donate to.
• VolunteerMatch
  
• 211 InfoBank brings people and services together.
  

We lack a front window on our building so what if we put some  outdoor poster light boxes, like the ones you see outside of movie theatres, in between our front door and the glass window of the office space north of us show in in this picture.

We could take advantage of this dead space as an eye catching way to annoucement events and programs.

Everything downtown and in the Sugarhouse areas has become expensive to rent and own.  We are fortunate to be in a location that is close to TRAX.  But what if it was more of a destination -- an alternative district?

• If you don't eat meat, the owner of Sage's Cafe, Ian Brandt, is opening a late night vegetarian restaurant called 'The Vertical' three buildings north of our Community Bike Shop on West Temple.
• If you do eat meat, Pat's Barbecue and Catering is a little further north at 155 West Commonwealth Avenue (2125 South) -- the food is awesome.  Better still is that they are turning into an all-ages Blues music venue.  Pat's goal is to keep it all-ages by early shows ending around 9:00pm or 9:30pm; much like events at Red Butte Botanical Gardens.
• The Utah Arts Alliance, is right around the corner at 2191 South 300 West.
  

It would be nice to have a Frame Building / Welding shop adjacent to the Community Bike Shop.  These could be seperate organizations or be part of the SLC Bicycle Collective.  In addition to frame building and classes we could also produce recycled bike art like Resource Revival.

Related Links:

UBI Frame Building Courses
Framebuilders Email List
Sheldon Brown's Frame Building Links
Josh Putnam's "Building Bicycle Frames"

The largest demographic group in the United States is heading for retirement.  As expected big and small businesses everywhere are trying to capitalize on these aging Baby Boomers.

What if tried to help them instead of make money off them?

Thinking of the retired folks I know, they need friends and ways to maintain and improve their health.  I may be bias, but cycling is an incredible way to meet people and keep in shape mentally and physically.

So how can we effectively reach them?

To avoid the laundering of stolen goods we do not buy or trade bikes.   In addition, we do not sell bikes on behalf of others (consignment) for the same reason.

What if the Bicycle Collective started a Yellow Bike Program?  For those that are unfamilar, other cities (not just in the USA) have taken inexpensive bikes, painted them an obnoxious color (like yellow) and placed them around the city.  The idea being people who needed to ride, would just get on it, ride to their destination and then leave it there for someone else to do the same.

Articles on this subject:
ibike's Bike Sharing: Case Studies 
UCAN's Yellow Bike Story
Wikipedia's Community bicycle programs

UPDATE: Dasani Blue Bikes Program launched in Provo

For inside the community shop (maybe even one outside) we had a common bike part vending machine.  If it was outside it could distribute things like tubes and patch kits during our off hours.  But if it was inside, it could help us account for and distrubute bearings, cables, housing, patches, tubes, maybe even tires.