ST. CHARLES COUNTY — The St. Charles Regional Chamber is working to attract local customers to local businesses, by helping them sell their products online — a move that could boost the chamber’s profile at the same time.

The website is a partnership with Iowa-based Member Marketplace Inc. and its “Shop Where I Live” digital platform. The chamber is encouraging local businesses to sign up and sell their products — and help develop the centralized St. Charles area online shopping hub in the process.

“We can engage businesses who don’t have a brick and mortar store or retail space,” said Scott Tate, president and CEO of the St. Charles Regional Chamber. “It’s a way for us to promote local businesses and support them.”

The regional chamber pays for the site but does not make money from it, said Wendy Rackovan, spokesperson for the chamber. Merchants pay a processing fee.

So far, most of the handful of shops on the online marketplace sell clothes and accessories. But, Tate said, service-based businesses, like auto shops, could offer things like oil changes or restaurants could sell gift cards.

“It allows people to shop locally and help them look at different store fronts at the same time. It helps streamline shopping locally with one checkout,” Tate said. “It’s about convenience. People like that.”

“Shop Where I Live” is also engaging local businesses around St. Charles, Tate said. Since staring, the chamber organizers have seen businesses they hadn’t previously know of sign up for the website. Any business located in St. Charles County or a business who is a member of the regional chamber is able to participate in the site.

Historically, online businesses have not felt the need to join their local chambers of commerce, Tate explained, but “Shop Where I Live” offers “a tangible benefit for businesses who have e-commerce sites” to be involved.

This is one of the reasons why Desirae Pecoraro, owner of baby clothes company Chubby Lamb and a Lake St. Louis native, decided to sell through the chamber. About a year old, Chubby Lamb only sells through its online site and at local shops, as Pecoraro works out of her house.

“I think it’s a good thing to build and strengthen the local community and help stimulate the local economy,” she said. “(The site) represents creativity and work of business owners and small shop owners.”

Breanna Angell, owner of Heathered Rose Boutique based in O’Fallon, said she has seen a definite increase in local sales since signing up with the chamber in April.

Angell, a sole operator, said being part of “Shop Where I Live” has no downsides: it’s free to business owners, it’s easy to set up and it’s free advertising for her business.

“As a one-man show, I really appreciate that it’s not adding something to my plate,” she said. “Local businesses make up a community and we need (people to shop locally) more than ever, especially with how the economy is right now.”

Tate said the chamber learned of the program at a conference last July when they saw the model’s success in other communities.

Member Marketplace Inc. co-founder and CEO Cherie Edilson said the startup has websites for about 30 different marketplaces, often through chambers of commerce, cities, neighborhood associations and merchant districts.

“Chambers of commerce often use the website as an exposure tool to either recruit new businesses or give exposure to the chamber,” Edilson said.

Edilson said that many communities have local directories online for the surrounding businesses, but “people don’t often shop from a directory.”

She also said they don’t have a lot of competitors when it comes to online marketplaces for local businesses. But, sometimes it’s hard to get communities to engage, she said, because the online aspect can deter some older residents.

And it’s taken longer for St. Charles’ “Shop Where I Live” site to get off the ground than anticipated. Tate said business owners are occupied with the daily tasks of running a business, so adding another item to their to-do list isn’t a high priority.

Earlier this month, the St. Charles Regional Chamber took over recruiting efforts from Member Marketplace Inc. with hopes that an invitation from the more local and official office will encourage businesses to start the process of signing up and selling on the site.

“There’s a lot of potential for growth as St. Charles targets businesses to sign up,” Tate said. “People like to support local small businesses, to support businesses in the community.”