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