Bay Meadows

While Black Friday is often a rush to the malls and Cyber Monday is all about internet shopping, thank goodness the Saturday after Thanksgiving is focused on small businesses! Small Business Saturday was created five years ago by American Express to help support small businesses during the busy holiday shopping season.

From the cafes where we draft our start-up business plans to the boutiques where we buy baby clothes, local small businesses enrich our lives. So, shop small this Saturday. Not sure where to start? Take a cue from our itinerary to make the most of your San Mateo small biz experience!

8:00 a.m. – Bring the whole family to KitchenTown Bakery & Café. Enjoy a cup of Sightglass coffee, and nosh on pastries and coffeecake. Shop for goods from local makers. You might even get to peek in on one of the local food artisans who are manufacturing their products in KitchenTown’s commercial kitchen.

10:00 a.m. – Now it’s time to head to downtown! See what all the buzz is lately about San Mateo’s downtown. The intersection of South B Street and E. 3^rd Ave. will position you perfectly to walk anywhere in the happening scene.

There’s so much here. We could go on, but we’ll highlight just a few of the very special local, small businesses that dot the downtown:

Apartment 46: As SFGate recently noted, this is “a curiosity cabinet of a space full of vintage furnishings, unique art, floral, and other worldly collectibles for modern-eclectic homes.”
Atlas Skateboard Store – Any teens on your gift list? Or maybe a perpetual teenager? Atlas offers stylin’ skateboard gear and wear in bright, contemporary digs.
Plato’s Closet: A locally-owned and operated recycling retail store, specializing in clothes for teens and twenty-somethings. Plato’s buys and sells the hottest brand name fashion in gently used clothing and accessories for girls and guys.
Premiere Boutique – premium footwear and apparel shop offering major brand footwear including kid’s selections, clothing, accessories, and more

12:00 p.m. – With stomachs grumbling, time to put down your bags and fill your bellies. With San Mateo’s recent crowning as Rand McNally’s Best Small Town for Food, there are options for everyone. Log on to SanMateoBestFood.com to get the skinny, umm, we mean, the details!

2:00 p.m. – Are the little ones getting restless? Or maybe you’re feeling crafty? It’s time to dart over to Scribble Me Happy, an an art studio dedicated to celebrating creativity to encourage the kid in all of us. Plus, you’ll find one-of-kind gifts from local makers.

3:00 p.m. – For the Millennial on your list or simply for those that like to stay active, check out Talbot’s Cyclery. With San Mateo tops for bicycling, you’ll want to pick up all your pedal gear at Talbot’s.

Or maybe there’s a knitter in your life? Let Nine Rubies Knitting help you navigate the skeins and needles to find the perfect gift.

4:00 p.m. – You’ve done your part for your local economy! Now treat yourself to a local smoothie. Sidewalk Juice just opened in downtown and will offer the perfect pick-me-up that’s also perfectly healthy.

An ideally located community, Bay Meadows is only 10 minutes from Palo Alto, 20 minutes from San Francisco, and has 3 airports (SFO, OAK, SJC) within 30 miles. Bay Meadows is also located on Caltrain, which makes travel and commutes that much easier. Talk about convenient! Bay Meadows is the centralized place to reduce commutes, meet friends and play.