According to Chamber of Commerce President Glynis Wineinger, that is exactly the case in Saratoga, where business owners are losing potential revenue to retailers and service providers in San Jose and other nearby cities.

Wineinger said that in some cases, Saratoga simply does not have the types of businesses residents are leaving town for. Many of the city's school groups, for example, hold fundraisers at the Westgate Chevy's restaurant just across the San Jose border—a situation she said is understandable since Saratoga is not famous for inexpensive family dining.

But Saratogans might be traveling farther than they need for financial, real estate and other services.

"People may think they have to go to big financial districts like San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto," said Wineinger, an Edward Jones investment representative. "The services they're going to other cities for, we have here."

That's why the Chamber is increasing its efforts to promote Saratoga businesses among residents and merchants alike, she said.

The group employs a number of standard methods to raise awareness of the city's commercial offerings, including the publication of a business directory and map, an informational website, and the annual Celebrate Saratoga! festival. But even that event, which attracts 25,000 to 30,000 people to the Village for food and wine sampling, is "only one day a year."

Wineinger said she and her colleagues are focusing on new ways to spread the word throughout the year. In addition to offering more frequent after-hours mixers that all Chamber members can attend, the Chamber is in the process of bringing together networking groups—bodies of 25 Chamber members, each from a different business field. Group members will meet weekly to share information about their fields and make contacts with businesspeople they might not otherwise get to know.

Wineinger said this kind of networking, as well as exchanging business, is vital to building a strong business community. Since merchants and service providers often refer both customers and co-workers to businesses they are familiar with, it is mutually beneficial for them to exchange information and contacts with other Saratoga businesses.

"It's pretty amazing how people don't know each other sometimes," she said. "The Chamber is a great tool to bring people together. It helps everybody, as far as tax revenue and stimulating local business."

She is also hoping the Chamber's efforts will improve relations between the city's three main commercial areas: Saratoga Village, Quito Village (on Cox Avenue between Saratoga Avenue and Paseo Presada), and the Gateway district (the quarter-mile stretch of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road between Prospect Road and the railroad tracks to the south).