TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The North Tahoe Chamber is launching a new program designed to bridge the gap between visitors and local businesses.

“I think for a visitor to get a real experience of what Tahoe is, it’s important that they frequent and not only see what the businesses have to offer,” Cory Hunt says, the chamber’s business development manager, “but experience the people who are working there.”

The North Tahoe Featured Vendor Program will highlight a Placer County-Tahoe business or artist and their products each month at the North Lake Tahoe Visitor Center in Tahoe City, Calif.

The goal is to introduce visitors to local products at the center and direct them to where they can find them in the community.

“We’re hoping to push them back out to our local businesses and spread that love,” Hunt says. “The small businesses are the lifeblood of our area, and I think that they’re such an important piece of dictating what the culture here is.”

After the feature, the vendor’s items will continue to be sold at the visitor center for a certain amount of time.

Tahoe Dog Co. will kick off the program as the inaugural vendor, starting in early July.

The choice to start with Tahoe Dog Co. is to raise awareness and celebrate Tahoe’s beloved dog subculture, “allowing both our locals and visitors to feel like they’re part of something bigger,” Hunt says.

The company, founded by Candice Wilmuth, is a lifestyle brand for both dogs and their human companions, offering leashes, collars, bandanas, embroidered hats, and stickers.

“Tahoe Dog Co. isn’t just about merchandise or products,” Wilmuth said. “The merchandise is just the badge of a Tahoe Dog Co., but the bigger idea is celebrating the dogs, people and places that make Tahoe special.”

To celebrate the program’s launch, organizers are planning a dog-friendly party at the Tahoe City visitor center, which Hunt says is regularly dog-friendly. The date and time for the party are still to be determined.

For more information about the chamber, visit northtahoechamber.com.