Anna is a serial entrepreneur with more than 3 successful businesses and non-profits under her belt. She boasts an impressive European education where she studied, among other things, Greek and Latin. And as if that weren’t enough, she speaks 5 more languages.
Yet even with these formidable credentials, perhaps most impressive of all is the indelible mark Anna leaves on every community of which she is a part.
If you live in Sonoma, you should know Anna Bimenyimana. As the founder and CEO of the Bon Marché thrift store, she has been a force for good in the community since moving here almost two decades ago.
“I can’t see myself working for a big corporation,” she says, when I ask about all she’s done. “I've tried that. I worked for a bank for seven years and I didn't like it… I'm happier when I'm doing something that makes an impact.”
And that’s exactly what she’s doing.
In Sonoma, the Bon Marché gives donated items a second chance at life, providing an invaluable shopping hub for families from all over the valley. Not only that, Anna partners with Sonoma Overnight Support, our local homeless assistance non-profit, providing clothing vouchers to those in need. She is also starting a program to dress young people for interviews to help them succeed as they go on to find work.
But Anna's impact is felt far beyond our little valley. The proceeds from the Bon Marché go to Anna's second non-profit, the Kigali Center for Entrepreneurs based in Rwanda.
What originally began as microloans to women to start their own businesses, transformed into empowering rural farmers with the skills they need to sustain themselves. It enables them to live healthier lives, while simultaneously helping eliminate child malnutrition.
“I'm not gonna be a millionaire,” she decided when she first began, “but I'll be happier.”
To scale her impact further, she partnered with a local Rwandan organization called Gardens For Health International which trains people on farming and self-sufficiency.
“This way I can teach them to take care of the health of their family and even have some extra farming food.”
And the pandemic hasn’t stopped either of these projects— Anna hasn’t even slowed down! Shoppers continue to browse her many aisles while donors keep dropping off clothes and furniture to be adopted and appreciated. Farmers in Rwanda continue to receive the training, benefits, and supplies needed to sustain their entrepreneurship.
Seven years ago, the Bon Marché faced another major setback. “In 2013, I had a fire and everything burned down.” It was a terrible challenge made especially hard by the network of connections that relied on her support. “You promised people who are so far away ‘Don't worry. I will be helping you.’ But when we were closed for three months and I say my God, you know, the people in Africa are going to think I let them down.”
She didn’t let them down. In fact, she continues to push onwards no matter the challenges. Even now, “Some people have a hard time coming back to work because they are scared to get sick. So I have to be strong for my employees." Those who help her keep the store running are essential to her impact. When smoke from recent fires blacked out the sky, she stopped accepting donations to protect her employees from the smoke. "My people are my priorities,” She says.
This unique focus on others started from an early age.
Anna grew up in a small town in Rwanda called Kibuye on the banks of stunning lake Kivu, with azure waters and lush greenery in every direction. Her parents owned a general store in Kigali, the capital, so she spent her childhood moving back and forth, visiting her great-grandmother who lived until she was almost a hundred.
Vivian, as she was called, imparted the wisdom of being kind to others, of putting oneself in another's shoes.
Anna wanted to bring these important memories into her life in Sonoma, so she founded what she calls her Rwanda Trip; an opportunity for curious Americans to see her home country the way she remembers it.
“Every time I meet somebody and I say I’m from Rwanda it’s ‘oh, genocide.’ I wanted to bring people to my country and show them how much work we Rwandans have done — that we’re doing really good.”
Ultimately, Anna is a connector. As a bridge between two continents, she unites people and services in both Sonoma and Rwanda. Her friendly disposition and tenacious dedication to helping those around her make her indispensable and well-liked in both communities.
“I’m here to serve people,” says Anna reflecting on her customers. “They say ‘thank you for being here’ or ‘I love your store, I found everything I needed!’ — That makes my day.”
For 13 years Anna has led the Bon Marché, serving hundreds of people a week and accepting thousands of items every month. Her work provides essential support for families on two continents.
It’s incredible to think that what started as a small investment and a dedication to doing what’s right became an essential element of communities spanning the globe.
In Kigali, Anna grew up working at her parents’ general store. She helped her mother stock the shelves, gave her new ideas, and built up her business acumen. Her customers knew her and came back every day to find the right products at a good price.
A few years later, so much has changed, but Anna’s dedication to giving back to her community remains undying. A symbol of that never-ending cycle of positive influence is a small token kept in honor of her childhood. In English, the name of her father’s general store meant “well priced,” or, perhaps “the good store.”
In French? Le Bon Marché.