Drnek, creative director of Oneonta based Sweet Home Productions, has come up with the idea of creating a Web site that features local shops in the area. The Web site, sweethomefortheholidays.com, allows viewers to click on the ``Store Front’’ photo of choice, which takes the shopper to a page of information about that merchant and the business, a free coupon and a video clip. The site also includes a community calendar of events for each local area, and a link to enter to win a free overnight stay at the Otesaga, which includes a breakfast and dinner for two.

``I thought with gas prices like these, few will be able to afford the usual trek to the malls in Albany, Binghamton and Utica,’’ Drnek said. ``I thought that if people could do some window shopping from their homes, and view the gifting opportunities available locally, they might just make the much shorter trip and stay local.’’

While shopping at local stores on Main Street with her daughter Anne Dangerfield, Cooperstown resident Helen Gurian said gas prices are not going to affect her shopping habits this year. Gurian said she still plans to do some local shopping and some not so local shopping. She also said she does a lot of mail ordering.

Gurian, who had just come out of the Cooperstown General Store, said she likes that store best when shopping locally for the holidays.

Dangerfield, who resides in Boston, said a lot has changed on Main Street since she was younger and living in Cooperstown. She said, unfortunately, most of the shops are pretty much baseball now. Some stores she said she missed were Old Blue and Smart Shop.

Drnek said he believes the Sweet Home for the Holidays Web site will provide shoppers with more unique gift opportunities than what they will find in a mall or a chain store.

``Box stores can’t begin to compete with the individual tastes, interests and locally specific knowledge that generally define small businesses,’’ Drnek said.

Drnek is a member of both the Otsego Chamber of Commerce and the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. Both agreed to sponsor Drnek’s Web site, and have a prominently placed link to the site on their Web site home pages.

Elise Schiellack, office manager of the Cooperstown Chamber, said she thinks the Web site is a wonderful idea because it is a great way for local shoppers and visitors to go to one place and find out about local shopping options instead of having to search on their own.

Schiellack said the Chamber exists to help the business community, and it is important to support hometown stores. She said she believes local shops offer unique items and provide a personal touch.

``The founder (Drnek) is a good Chamber member, and the Otsego Chamber has also gone on board, so we felt it would be to our benefit to support the site,’’ said Schiellack. ``We are happy to take part in it.’’

The Web site is also being publicized through a printed flier that has been distributed throughout the county and via radio and television spots, said Drnek.

Tara Aitchison, store, tour and event director, said Brewery Ommegang decided to participate in Sweet Home for the Holidays because it is good visibility for the store, and it reinforces the brewery’s partnership with friends and local businesses.

``Naturally it helps the local economy, which is a large concern of ours,’’ said Aitchison ``It also adds to the vibrancy of our area.’’

Jackie Hall, owner of A Rose is a Rose Flower Shop on Main Street in Cherry Valley, said she is participating in Sweet Home for the Holidays because it gives people the opportunity to see what businesses have to sell without having to get out of the car.

``Many people stop in and say I’ve driven by a hundred times and mean to stop, and are pleasantly surprised by what’s inside when they do,’’ Hall said.

Hall said it is important for people to support local businesses because without them, there would be no more choices, and box stores would rule the world.

``Everyone would have exactly the same things,’’ she said. ``Not to mention there would be no more sense of community. How inconvenient to have to drive 20 miles just to get a gift on short notice or a loaf of bread.’’

Pati Drumm Grady, president and founder of the Cooperstown Cookie Company, said she appreciated the way Drnek made personal visits in his attempts to reach out to local merchants. Grady said she liked how Drnek explained what he had in mind for Sweet Home for the Holidays. Feedback to the project was nice too, Grady said.

``We participated in Sweet Home for the Holidays because there was no other promotion like it, because it was affordable, and because it is another way we could support another local business,’’ she said. ``As an internet-based business, we are always looking for new and clever ways to increase our visibility and to drive traffic to our Web site.’’

Grady said when people shop locally, they make an affirmation that they prefer something other than a ``cookie cutter’’ approach to the products they purchase, and that they take pride in supporting local business initiatives.

Rick Gibbons, of Riverwood on Main Street in Cooperstown, said he decided to participate in Sweet Home for the Holidays because Drnek is his friend, and the opportunity seemed like a reasonable advertising venue. He said he feels it is important people shop locally because it is an investment in the local economy, and the money will stay local instead of going to foreign countries and corporations.

The Sweet Home for the Holidays Web site will not just be launched during the Christmas holiday. Drnek said the motif of the site will change to reflect the time of year. For example, the theme of the site will change for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.

According to Drnek, there are currently approximately 45 businesses featured on Sweethomefortheholidays.com. Business owners can advertise their businesses on the Web site by calling Drnek at 267-4193 or e-mailing him at SHPdirect@mac.com. Business owners can advertise on the site for 12 months for $395 if signed up before Nov. 30. It will cost $465 after that. There is a 10 percent discount to Chamber members. To add community calendar information, go directly to sweethomefortheholidays.com.