It was a snowy day when Aubrey Martin called Molly Hutchins.

“She said 'I have an idea,' and I said 'I think I know what you're thinking,'” Hutchins said.

On a snowy day the thought turned to flowers and bees; specifically, the buzz around the hive, said Hutchins, the owner of Edgecomb's On Board Fabrics.

Along with Martin, owner of Damariscotta's The Animal House, Hutchins started Bee Local Maine, which wants to create a buzz about local businesses by linking them together.

The group met Sunday, Feb. 23 to further develop its plan to link communities together through business, and a goal of shopping locally.

The organization isn't looking to replace any chamber of commerce, Martin said; whereas chambers look to bring in outside business, the goal of Bee Local would be to promote from within.

“We don't want to replace what the chamber does,” Martin said. “They are busy promoting the region to outsiders. Their goal is to get people from outside the area to come here.

“We want to promote from within.”

The whole process will be similar to a website such as Angie's List, where recommendations mean the most, Martin said. The physical range and size of business that would be allowed to join has yet to be decided, she said, but a big perk of the group would be its ability to link the Boothbay-Wiscasset-Twin Village areas.

“If I know a really good dog trainer in Bath, I will send my clients down to Bath,” she said. “If I know a good electrician, I am going to share his information with anyone who asks.

“This will really benefit those businesses without a storefront.”

Eventually, the group will begin to hand out wooden nickels with the “Bee Local” insignia on them. The nickel idea turns the old saying “Never take a wooden nickel” on its head, Hutchins said.

“The idea would be that if someone just spent $200 at The Ladies Room, they would get a wooden nickel, for instance,” she said. “They could then take that and go to the Animal House and trade it in for a bag of dog food.”

After a nickel is given out, the customer would then be directed online where a list of the businesses would be available, Hutchins said.

Right now begins the work of networking, website building and figuring out what the mission statement will be; in the months ahead, the group hopes to have not only a Facebook site, but a website and door emblems as well.