A local bulletin board displays ads for apartment rentals. Photo by Brendan McInerney.

Pop quiz: You own a cleaning service and need a set of new vacuum cleaners. What do you do?

Maybe you draw down your savings account. Maybe you ask your local bank for a loan. Maybe you put the suckers on plastic.

All good answers, but let’s make it a little tougher: your low income allows for little savings, you have no credit score, and the only plastic in your wallet is your EBT card.

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Check out Jennifer Bradshaw’s great article today on the Intersect Fund and our clients.

We always knew our clients were front-page material; today, the Home News Tribune showed they agree. Check out this great story by Bob Makin in today’s paper.

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Photo: Flickr/1yen

“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 the Intersect Fund’s blog, 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.

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