The business at 860 Fourth Street was once a popular spot for community gathering, where people of all ages could go and enjoy delicious treats and lively conversation. It was the home of Double Rainbow Cafe, a small family business that San Rafael locals have cherished for decades. Customers have begun to notice the cafe’s sudden absence from downtown SR, its front window now covered by a large “FOR RENT” sign. They haven’t disappeared, however; Double Rainbow is opening new doors to its future, and so are their customers. Two doors down from their old location, Autistry Studios has given the business a place to rebuild. 

The very first Double Rainbow opened in San Francisco in 1976, then in 1988, opened a second location in downtown San Rafael. Owned at the time by Charlie Garfink and his wife Joanne Webster, its homey and welcoming atmosphere allowed business to flourish. Around 2008, they handed down their legacy to their long-time employee Forrest Manning, who has run the business alongside his wife, Danielle, ever since. 

While the cafe has received immense support from the community for decades, they have experienced their fair share of challenges. “There are a lot of things you think you know after being there for so long,” Forrest admits, “and then you realize you didn’t quite know all of this stuff…taxes, paperwork…” He explains that while Marin typically experiences the effects of a financial crisis a bit later, its recovery is also delayed. The same was true of The Great Recession in 2008, which was detrimental to local businesses around the country but especially hard on Double Rainbow. 

With the cost of goods rising as the economy collapsed, fear and uncertainty grew within its customers and employees. Forrest and his wife were faced with difficult decisions. “Double Rainbow is a place where you can bring that $5 or that $10 and get a little treat, so we really tried to continue that, and we maybe tried a little too hard,” he says. Their loyalty to Double Rainbow’s traditions certainly put a strain on their recovery, but nevertheless, the cafe survived. 

The determined couple was able to keep business running smoothly for another 12 years. In March of 2020, however, they would be hit with another challenge, this time on a global scale: Covid-19. 

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, California was the first state to issue a mandated stay-at-home order for all residents, placing heavy restrictions on travel and business operations. Based on the results of a survey sent out to all small businesses in California, the SBDC stated in January of 2022 that “nearly a third of businesses remain temporarily closed or have permanently shut operation and only 20 percent of those reducing operations during the initial crisis have returned to full operations.” With in-person interaction being almost entirely prohibited across the state, Double Rainbow struggled to maintain its community appeal, and they lost almost all of their customers and employees.

Still, Forrest felt that it was more crucial a time than ever to keep doors open. So, while adhering to regulations on social distancing and indoor activities, they remained completely open through the entire pandemic. “I thought, ‘let’s give people a place to just escape from everything and try to give people a little bit of that normalcy back,’” Forrest explains. He kept the cafe open daily from 11 am until 11 pm while he stood alone at the counter, waiting for any signs of life that might wander in from the deserted downtown area.

“Rent wasn’t going down, electricity was going up, the cost of goods all over the place after Covid were going up. Even so much as just putting an order in for cups turned into a months-long process of waiting for things to come in,” Forrest recalls. On top of financial struggle, the way that people had begun to look for jobs had also changed around the globe. While Double Rainbow had often sought out independent and hardworking employees, many of these self-starters turned to services like Doordash or Instacart as a means of income. 

While Double Rainbow was on the brink of closing for good, Autistry Studios had just opened up a few doors down. “Autistry is a highly individualized program for supporting Autistic adults as they work towards building independent lives,” the nonprofit’s clinical director, Sara Gardner, explains. “Mentors” lead small groups of autistic students through educational workshops and different programs designed to build their social, vocational, and communication skills to prepare them for adulthood. This includes providing students with real work experience by having them help run the cafe that was included with the lease for the studio.

“We wanted to partner with a business that was interested in collaborating with us to set up student internships and Forrest and Double Rainbow were my first thoughts,” Sara explains. Forrest eagerly accepted the offer, knowing that it would give a new life and purpose to the business that he had dedicated so much of his life to. 

Students that are deemed a good fit for the work program are trained on how to operate cafe equipment, greet guests, take orders, etc., all by Forrest himself. They also practice preparing menu items until they are comfortable following the recipes on their own. Students that help run the cafe have select work days, during which they complete standard tasks that any regular employee is responsible for: opening and closing, cleaning, baking pastries and making coffee, taking orders, operating the cash register, to name a few. 

Forrest recalls a specific moment when a student, who was known to be particularly shy and reserved, greeted a customer and took their order all on their own, and he was grateful to have witnessed such a huge milestone. “Watching the growth of the students is really amazing, and really makes you feel like you’re actually doing something,” he says. 

Not only has this brought fulfillment into his life, but it’s also made a noticeable impact on the surrounding community.

“I love ordering a coffee drink from an Autistry student that I have been working with for years and really getting to see a different side of them and their abilities,” says Sara Gardner, who played a significant role in setting up the cafe’s partnership with Autistry.

Since early 2024, the pieces of the beloved cafe have slowly come back together, thanks to the community’s support of the cafe’s GoFundMe page. The new location, much larger than the old space, is still furnished with the classic diner booths and multicolored tables, and the Double Rainbow charm has not been lost. Most importantly, the heart of Double Rainbow has grown even stronger through its partnership with Autistry. 

Forrest hopes to host more community events going forward, like poetry readings and karaoke nights, along with a grand opening sometime in the near future. “We really want to let people know that ‘hey, we’re still here,’ you know,” he says. Despite all of the hardship that the small business has endured, one thing remains true: Double Rainbow is here to stay.