Des Moines business owners and officials have embarked on a "semi-secret" effort to revive the downtown area of Des Moines," according to Wayne Curran, owner of Page Turner Books.

After years of disappointing results, Des Moines business owners report that they are partnering with the city of Des Moines to revitalize the area.

To facilitate these efforts, Destination Des Moines, a group of business promoters recently dormant in the poor economic climate, has re-formed, planning to focus on drawing tourists and local visitors to Des Moines. Michelle Fawcett, owner of Salon Michelle and member of the Destination Des Moines board, said that the new board was elected at a July 13th meeting.

"We had people in the community interested in... getting this show on the road," she said. At this point, the board will primarily focus on recruiting members, but they will likely take over several traditional community events in the future.

"We're definitely committed to bringing back the [Waterland] parade," she added.

Efforts by local businesses to draw visitors downtown go back a few years, Curran noted. One of the first involved giving customers who brought a receipt from another participating business a discount on goods and services. Since its start, the program has constantly increased in popularity.

Curran cited Snohomish and Leavenworth as examples of small towns with vibrant shopping districts. He suggested that Des Moines, too, could become a place "where people come on weekends to get that downtown shopping experience."

Though neglect has contributed to relatively sluggish economic growth downtown, Curran said he is "really optimistic" about the area's future.

Next June, he and other business owners plan to sponsor a daylong music festival in Des Moines, featuring indie rock bands from the Northwest and other areas.

"It's important for us to give [visitors] a reason to come here," he said.

Morgan Hicks, owner of All Points Yarn, is hopeful that city officials are committed to "making business easier to conduct in Des Moines."

These actions compliment grassroots efforts by the business owners to reach out to members of the community, especially families and seniors.

"A good business is responsible to its people," he said, describing a free knitting course his shop has sponsored for new mothers. He has also encouraged local businesses to create websites that a new web directory, www.lostindesmoines.com, can link to. Flyers and coupon books may soon spread information that now travels only by word of mouth.

Like Curran and Fawcett, Hicks expressed excitement about upcoming collaborations, saying, "We all want Des Moines to thrive."