News from Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Update - Another way to stay updated is to attend the Coffee with the Chamber each week. Visit us at 37 Auburn, Ste. 1., any time between 7 and 9am. See you then!

Greetings!

Thanks to those who have helped with Friday Night Live, but we could still use some help staffing the Chamber booths. Do you have a couple hours you can help out? We need help from 6:30 - 9pm at the booth, and we could also use help for set up and tear down. Call the Chamber office, or e-mail us if you are available for part or all of that time. Thanks in advance...

Mixer Thursday at Corfu!!

This month's Chamber mixer will be Thursday the 13th at Corfu Restaurant, 48 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., from 5:30 to 7pm. Cost is $10/members, $15/non-members. Immediately following, anyone interested in sitting on the Dickens Village Committee is invited to join us up the street at Memorial Park.

Not only is Corfu hosting this month's mixer (and they catered our recent State of the City Breakfast Mixer), but they have also hired another Chamber member, contemporary jazz and pop artist Jane Fuller, to perform at the restaurant on Saturday, Aug. 22nd from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Jane will be performing as a due with Mike Gallegos. We have a limited number of coupons good for 10% off orders of $30 or more here at the Chamber office if you'd like to stop by and pick one up. To find out more about Corfu, visit their website at www.EatAtCorfu.com and to learn more about Jane Fuller (and hear samples of her singing) visit www.JaneFuller.com

Here's a chance to enjoy some good food and entertainment, support two Chamber members, and save some money while you're doing it. What more could you ask for?

CalChamber Offers Businesses New Resource to Protect Customers' Credit Card Data

Did you know that if you accept payment cards at your business, you must comply with the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)?

A brand-new book providing vital information for businesses on protecting

customers' personal data is now being offered by CalBizCentral, presented by the California Chamber of Commerce.

Take Charge: Protecting Your Customers' Credit Card Data, by award-winning security expert Jay Cline, makes clear the security standard, known as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). PCI DSS was developed to encourage businesses to adopt a cardholder data security policy. If businesses are not PCI DSS compliant, merchants face significant fines from their banks.

Providing a step-by-step action plan, Take Charge is designed to help businesses avoid common, inadvertent mistakes that contribute to credit and debit card fraud. This new guide specifically targets the countless Level 4 merchants, which are businesses that handle fewer than 1 million total credit and debit card transactions and fewer than 20,000 online transactions annually.

Major payment-card companies, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, require any business, large or small, that processes, stores or transmits payment-card data to comply with the PCI DSS.

"In today's environment, protecting cardholder data is a smart investment and a necessary cost of doing business for both large and small businesses," said Jennifer Fischer, director of Payment System Risk, Visa Inc. "In fact, a recent Visa review of fraud cases found that small businesses account for the vast majority of credit and debit card data breaches. We believe that Take Charge will provide important insights for companies that need help understanding the PCI DSS, and in turn, will better protect the valuable consumer information with which we have each been entrusted."

Visit CalBizCentralto order Take Charge: Protecting Your Customers' Credit Card Data.

Friday Night Live last week was a little slower, with fewer people downtown, and just 14 shoppers receiving free tote bags full of goodies for spending $35/retail or $75/restaurant. On the plus side, the average dollar amount spent of the 13 we tracked was $92, up from 82 the previous week. Mercy and the Beets made a second appearance, and the people that were there stayed around to listen. Winners of the drawings were Chris Quinnof Sierra Madre ($25 Gift Cert to Restaurant Lozano, donated by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com) and Tere Goblirsch of Monrovia, who won a 4-pack of tickets to Oak Tree, donated by Santa Anita Park. Quinn was also the winner of a box/bag of produce and other goodies from the Farmer's Market. And MaryLou and Gordon Caldwell won 2 Playhouse tickets and dinner for two at Bean Town, donated by the Playhouse and Bean Town. Come down and enjoy the live music and take advantage of the shopping specials that our downtown merchants are offering...You could be a winner next week. This week's entertainment will be provided by "Steve and Steve." Here's what Sierra Madre Sue (Behrens) had to say about Steve and Steve (and Friday Night Live) in her weekly Music Update newsletter: "Just doing my share to promote a cool Summer happening in Sierra Madre, and turn all of you onto a great musical duo that you might want to hire for your next shindig! STEVE & STEVE (Ysais & Vargas, of Horses on Astroturf fame) will be performing their acoustic rock & folk classics, as well as their own original songs in Kersting Court this Friday, 8/14, as part of the "FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE" series which runs thru August 28th. Shoppers who spend a certain amount of money at participating Chamber of Commerce retailers or restaurants will be given a free tote bag full of goodies, while supplies last. They will also be entered into a drawing for valuable prizes donated by the Chamber and local merchants. All in all, it's a nice way to spend a Friday evening with family & friends in beautiful downtown Sierra Madre!"

www.SMFridayNightLive.info

Join us from 6:30pm to 9pm each Friday through August 28th for live music in Kersting Court, sales promotions, prizes, giveaways and the most important ingredient: FUN!

Shoppers that spend $35 in any one participating retail store or $75 in any one participating restaurant will receive a free tote bag of goodies valued in excess of $50, while supplies last. All tote bags will include a free Sierra Madre baseball cap and three Sierra Madre post cards donated by the Chamber. Also donated by the Chamber in each tote bag will be a free pass to a Sierra Madre Chamber mixer, valued at $10/member, $15/non-members. The tote bags will include two Clubhouse passes to Santa Anita Park's Oak Tree meeting. Cornerstone Electric has donated fluorescent bulbs. Each tote bag will include discount coupons for the Sierra Madre Farmer's Market, BOGOs from Coldstone Creamery, and other discounts, information and items from other Chamber members.

Entertainment Schedule**

THIS WEEK - Aug. 14th - Steve and Steve

Aug. 21st - Sugar Penny

Aug. 28th - The Mellow Dz (Acoustic Rock/Pop)

** (subject to change without notice)

Major Sponsor

Santa Anita Park

Ellen Burry with Shaw, Moses, Mendenhall and Associates Insurance

Evening Sponsor

Marie's CDs and Online Auctions

Sierra Madre Playhouse

Band Sponsors

Bean Town Coffee House

Clean Fuel Connection
Cornerstone Electric

Mountain Views News

SanGabrielValleyMenus.com

Sierra Madre Farmer's Market Extends Hours

The Sierra Madre Farmer's Market has extended its hours till 8pm, allowing shoppers to come by in the cooler evening hours during the dog days of summer. In addition, Tanja Castle of Scholastic Gardens (which manages the market) tells me that they are in discussions with several new vendors and hope to have new items become available in the next few weeks. Ms. Castle added that they are also expecting to again have live music each week. As extra incentive, you might also want to stop by the Chamber booth at Friday Night Live, where you can pick up coupons good for $1 off your minimum $5 purchase at the Farmer's Market (one coupon per vendor, please)

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