How to Buy Local

I don't know where to find them."  
"I don't know of any who have the products I want."
"I'm unsure of the quality they can provide."

These are a few of the excuses that pop into the minds of those who want to support local businesses but fail to do so as often as they'd like. Given that you're an enlightened reader of a hyper-local news source, I'll bet you fall into this category.

If so, you're not alone. Nor are you entirely at fault. Many local merchants lack the storefronts or websites that would help them emerge from obscurity. And the competition they face – big-box stores, shopping malls and large online retailers – is formidable.

Call it a disparity of visibility. Hundreds of Greater New Brunswick residents would gladly support local merchants – if they could only find them. Meanwhile, passionate entrepreneurs are crafting quality products and delivering excellent services but struggling to find enough customers.

It's an imbalance my organization – the Intersect Fund – seeks to correct. Here's a bit of background: the Intersect Fund is a New Brunswick-based nonprofit some friends of mine from Rutgers and I started a few years ago. From our Church Street office, we offer microloans and comprehensive business training. We also maintain a directory of local entrepreneurs and host vending events that connect customers with the best local merchants they've never head of.

Our goal is to increase the visibility of talented local merchants while giving consumers in and around the Hub City the chance to support them. In the coming years, this support will translate into an increasingly vibrant local economy and will foster entrepreneurial role models within our community.

Since getting started, the Intersect Fund has worked with approximately 200 entrepreneurs, including:

Gretchen Campbell, a New Brunswick-based seamstress who donates a portion of her proceeds to cancer research. She recently earned the right to sew the Rutgers' Scarlet Knight on her products.

Highland Park baker Amatullah Lewis, who started Sweet Spice & Honey. She crafts artisan dessert breads and sells them throughout the area.

Felix Orozco, a New Brunswick-based printer who used his Intersect Fund loan to purchase supplies and move his business to a larger, storefront location on George Street.

We connect clients like these to Central New Jersey consumers by publicizing them on our website and in local media outlets. We also secure spaces for them at local vending events, some of which we host.

If you would like to buy local but wonder how to do it, visit our website, www.intersectfund.org, to find dozens of great local merchants. Then, visit them at a few of the vending events we've lined up over the next couple of months The next one will take place at New Brunswick's Sacred Heart Church on Sept. 17.

This fall, we'll host a gourmet foods showcase featuring artisan bread, fresh-roasted coffee, flavorful jams, delectable desserts, and more. Tickets go on sale soon for $10 each, but for the rest of September, we'll grant free admission to Patch readers who complete the form on this page of our website.