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Though much of the recent thrust of development in Brunswick has been associated with the Brunswick Crossing homes and retail spaces, the Brunswick Main Street Association and its Economic Restructuring Committee want potential retailers and developers to know that the downtown area is also a viable option.

On Tuesday morning, the association provided a tour to prospective storeowners and real estate developers in the downtown Brunswick area. The tour showcased eight locations that are available either for lease or ownership, and allowed attendees to explore them.

Patrick Kay, executive director of the Brunswick Main Street Association, said the tour is just one of the ways the association is trying to attract businesses downtown. "The thing we're trying to show with this is ‘downtown Brunswick is open for business,'" he said. "We want businesses here."

The association has also created a pamphlet, available now in the city, and eventually will be online, Kay said. The pamphlet, titled "The Conductor," after the town's railroad notoriety, contains a brief history of the area, as well as statistics gleaned from customer surveys in town.

It highlights the areas Brunswick shoppers come from, as well as pertinent demographic information, aimed at allowing business owners to cater their product or service to those who shop in the city. The pamphlet also carries a directory of available businesses and the contact information for the owners or landlords of the rental properties.

"I like having something as proof," Kay said, adding that the pamphlet gives viability to statements made by the association or others in the city. "I want to have that to back it up with. Someone who's not good at recruiting can show them the statistics [to prove it]."

The methods haven't been without success, though Kay didn't want to take credit for the new businesses in town. A handpainted furniture store, Bella Vita Designs, is planning its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, and a daycare center got final approval to operate downtown last month.

"With economic development, it's hard to take credit," Kay said, adding that there are several groups who help in the process of attracting new businesses to the downtown. "It's all of us working together."

Laurie M. Boyer, executive director of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development attended the event to gain more firsthand knowledge of the area, since the office also works to attract new business to the downtown. The Office of Economic Development also provides support for those seeking to open businesses in the downtown area.

"As a partner, we're here learning bout the commercial real estate available here," Boyer said. "It's good for us to be here and see the properties. When we're getting calls about them, we can know more about the property."

Representatives from Frederick-based Turning Point Real Estate, a company that handles both residential and commercial real estate, as well as development and property management, attended the tour, though they said they were drawn in by the development at Brunswick Crossing.

"The dynamics are a little more residential," Charles E. Seymour, the president of Turning Point, said. "I'm not so sure street shopping [is the solution in the downtown]."

E-mail Tripp Laino at tlaino@gazette.net.