Buy Local, Buy American

In an effort to support the "Made in America" movement Gaia DiLoreto opened New York store Buy Brooklyn as a marketplace for locally made goods

A “Buy American-made” update:  In April of 2011, entrepreneur Gaia DiLoreto opened a store called Buy Brooklyn to exclusively sell goods made in Brooklyn.  With offerings like bacon-flavored mayonnaise, hand-woven purses and paintings of the skyline, Buy Brooklyn provides a marketplace for entrepreneurs that don’t have the resources to produce the high volumes necessary for larger stores like Williams Sonoma or Crate & Barrel.

Gaia DiLoreto, at her store in October 2012, left New Mexico for New York to pursue a career as a restaurateur.  She soon realized that she wanted to open her own business, and Buy Brooklyn was born.  DiLoreto funds the store exclusively with her money, and she only has one employee.

While DiLoreto’s store has been open for a year, she is now getting attention from established brands.  Living Social recently approached her to sell goods from her store through the website during the upcoming holiday season.  This deal provides the manufacturers she showcases in her store--like a former chef who makes gourmet pickles--with greater exposure to large markets.  She notes that as a result of the deal, a craftsman who provides copper pots to Buy Brooklyn now has the opportunity to sell his pieces through the Williams Sonoma catalogue.

Wall art at Buy Brooklyn reflects DiLoreto's local pride.

In terms of the American-made movement, DiLoreto has proven that the “Buy Local” movement and the more recent trend of “Buy American” go hand in hand.  As she continues collaborations with large companies, she puts American-made goods on the map.