Bay Area

Rich City Rides Launches Capital Campaign to Purchase Home Base

Rich City Rides, a Richmond nonprofit that promotes cycling as a “social, sustainable, and green mode of transportation,” is embarking on a $6 million capital campaign to purchase its downtown Bike and Skate Shop and three additional owner-associated buildings in Richmond. The landlord has given Rich City Rides a deadline of June 30 to raise the money, according to an employee.

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Rich City Rides Bike Skate Cooperative Shop, an independent Black-owned cooperative in downtown Richmond. The shop has been here since 2014. Photo by Mike Kinney.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Richmond Standard

The landlord has given Rich City Rides a deadline of June 30 to raise the money, according to an employee.

The capital campaign not only seeks to fund the purchase of these buildings, but also to ensure “the long-term sustainability of Rich City’s vital community services,” per Rich City Rides Fund Development Manager Jayson Johnson in an email to the Standard.

The organization underscored that it has been at the forefront of issues facing Black and Brown communities in Richmond and West Contra Costa County.

The capital campaign will enable Rich City Rides to fulfill its vision for the properties, which it said includes:

The Mothership, securing the home of Rich City Rides Bike Shop and the Rich City Gallery
The Black Wellness Hub, a community center to enhance existing Unity Park programming and provide a home for Bay Area Black culture
Black Childcare Cooperative Center, a center to provide high quality and culturally relevant childcare
RICH Minds Work/Event/Residential Multiplex, an independent coworking and event space for Black and Brown entrepreneurs, to serve as a downtown hub for worker-owned cooperative enterprises.

In a video on the fundraising page, Rich City Rides Founding Executive Director Najari Smith said that “Together, we can redefine what Rich City means by giving marginalized people an opportunity to thrive with access to an abundance of all resources they need and also provide homes to those who need it most.”

To date, Rich City Rides has raised $41,631 toward its capital campaign and has more than $1,100,000 in commitments toward the $6 million purchase price of all four properties. To support the organization, donate to the capital campaign here: richcityrides.org.

Those preferring to send a check can mail it to: Urban Tilth, 323 Brookside D., Richmond, CA, 94801.

Please make the check out to Urban Tilth, Rich City Rides’ 501c3 fiscal sponsor, and indicate in the check’s memo that it is a donation to Rich City Rides.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.