Salem — Salem probably isn't going to be home to the next Wal-Mart or Tractor Supply Company, according the head of the Economic Development Commission, but the group is working on a plan to make the town appealing to smaller businesses.

"We're trying to be able to communicate to potential businesses who might be looking for a location, the advantages or the reasons to consider Salem," Chairman Frank Sroka said.

He said the EDC will be focusing its efforts on development now that the recession has passed and the commission has new members.

At an EDC meeting Monday night, the commission discussed plans for a Salem business directory so the town can most accurately show prospective business owners what the town has to offer.

The commission will be working with assistant assessor Michael Kapinos to make sure the directory also includes businesses in town that operate in private homes rather than a storefront.

Member Wendy Mikolinski said at the meeting that she would ask residents who have marketing experience to help produce a marketing plan for the town.

The plan later could be presented to local real estate agents or chambers of commerce to promote the town.

Members at the meeting said Salem, and the buildings around Salem Four Corners in particular, might be a good location for medical professionals or office space for small businesses looking to expand.

They also are considering creating a display space in Town Hall to promote businesses in town.

A marketing plan for the town faces some challenges.

Many people come to Salem and stay in town because of its rural character, Sroka said, and any plan for business growth would have to fit the guidelines set by the town's Plan of Conservation and Development.

The town's roughly 4,000 residents are spread out over almost 30 square miles, but Salem has little commercially zoned space, and the federally protected Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Watershed makes it difficult to change property zoning designations.

With no municipal water or sewer, a prospective business owner would have to know they literally need to start from the ground up, Sroka said.

Nevertheless, promoting Salem as a potential business location can work, he said.

He cited Fox Farm Brewery on Music Vale Road as an example of not only what kinds of businesses could work in Salem but also what can be accomplished when the town's boards work with citizens.

The brewery and taproom, set to open later this year in a converted dairy barn, were approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in January. It was largely supported by residents, the EDC and the Board of Selectmen.

Other ideas discussed at the meeting included conducting a business owners survey to determine what businesses want and need from the town.

Responses to a previous survey were never received due to technical difficulties.

Mikolinski suggested a financial incentive for businesses to participate, such as a raffle for free advertising space in the town newsletter.

Sroka said there was no set deadline for the plan, but he would like to get something in place by the end of the year.

a.hutchinson@theday.com