The businesses of Contoocook Village and Hopkinton now have the ability to work together in a more formal capacity.
The Contoocook Chamber of Commerce will promote and support a network of businesses both known and unknown in the community, according to Indigo Blues owner and chamber spokeswoman LeAnne Vance. The group will have its first meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Indigo Blues & Co. on Main Street to discuss goals and how the chamber will be run.
The retailers, artisans and local church groups located close to the heart of the village are already pretty well-connected, Vance said. There’s an informal group called Explore Contoocook, which meets periodically to plan local events such as Starry Starry Weekend, when participating stores hold special hours and sales for the holiday shopping season, and Art on the Porch, where local artisans showcase their wares in the village square.
But Vance said other businesses and artisans deserve more exposure, like Karpets by Kerry, a Pine Street establishment with 35 years of service under its belt. Despite its long history, Vance said many of the young families who have moved to town recently do not know about the store or other businesses located just outside the village.
There are also internationally known artists who Vance said see little local fame, such as Bulgarian-born potter Boyan Moskov and Kathleen Dustin, whose “Wearable D’Art” has been featured in museums across the country.
Vance said one of the first things she hopes the chamber accomplishes is putting together a business directory and sending out paper copies to every business in town as a reference for residents who do not use a computer.
“We’ve seen a lot of people who like to shop local, playing into that ‘Live, Work, Play’ idea,” Vance said. “Connecting the rest of the businesses seems like a natural outreach.”
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)