The council's virtual message board has become the way to communicate and reach out among the city's business community and others interested in the development of the commercial areas of the city.

This time around the talk was about the much-talked-about Saratoga downtown.

The entire debate started with talk of a possible opening of an Ann Taylor shop in the Village. The Corinthian Corners building on Big Basin Way is looking for tenants, and a representative for the Ann Taylor group has already looked at the property to be rented out.

Virginia Fiorentino, the person in charge of developing Corinthian Corners, sent out a message some weeks ago asking for the members of the SBDC for some input about the redeveloped Corinthian Corners, which will be ready to be rented out early next year.

Brian Berg, prime mover behind the SBDC message board, wrote back saying that he supported the idea of a store like Ann Taylor at the Village.

"My wife had an immediate positive reaction to the possibility of an Ann Taylor store downtown. I feel that others in town would feel likewise, and that people would make a point to come to this store in Saratoga," said Berg on the message board. "We absolutely need a draw for the downtown, and a store like this would be just that."

April Halberstadt, the curator for the Saratoga Museum, jumped in at this point to say that the Village needed something to draw people but a store that is also present in nearby malls might not be it.

Bob McMohan, a local resident, also sent back a detailed reply, almost a wish list of what he would like to see in the Village. His ideas included a quality bakery, a bookshop, a quality chocolate shop and a bicycle store. He also suggested a specialty grocery store like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

But Pat Smith, of Pat Smith Extravaganza, a catering and deli shop, disagreed. She indicated that existing business owners at the Village need help to make their businesses profitable. She also said that bringing similar businesses would surely reduce the chances of existing stores to survive.

And so the debate and the exchange of ideas continues.