KALAMA — Fires and the recession have shuttered about a dozen businesses in Kalama this year, prompting an Olympian effort by the chamber of commerce to boost tourism and help save the area.

“If we don’t try to do something, it will only get worse,” says Vic Leatzow, Kalama Chamber president.

The chamber is creating a brochure about Kalama to put in hotel lobbies around Bellingham, where many travelers are expected to be staying during the Winter Olympics, which will be held across the border in Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb. 12-28. The single-page flyer will boast Kalama’s antique stores, recreational areas and possibly its “Twilight” movie connection, Leatzow said.

The chamber got the idea after being contacted by the statewide Chamber of Commerce group, which is creating an interactive Web site to encourage Olympics-bound travelers to explore Washington.

“That opened our eyes that we need to target markets and target events such as the Olympics,” Leatzow said. “We’re expanding to that area because we know they’re going to have an influx (of travelers).”

Kalama also wants its name all over the radio waves next year, Leatzow said. A group of Chamber members is trying to get remaining downtown merchants to develop cooperative radio ads, and the chamber will help pay for them, Leatzow said. The chamber also wants radio ads to promote Kalama events — such as this year’s successful downtown trick-or-treating event and Kalama Discover Days.

“The exposure and cost to them as a business is miniscule compared to them trying to do it on their own,” Leatzow said. “It’s making our dollars stretch farther.”

The group’s efforts are generating interest around town, especially for business owners like Judy Swain, who isn’t a member of the chamber. Customer traffic and sales have slowed down considerably from last year, she said.

“I think they’re really trying hard … I think if they do half of what they talk about, it will help everybody here,” she said.

Angela Mazza, who owns a downtown photography studio, said business was slow this summer. She was booked to take pictures for only three weddings, compared to 11 in 2008, when she opened shop.

The closures and loss of so many businesses makes it hard on those that remain, Mazza said, because merchants feed off one another. Her customers often get pizza or a sandwich after a photo shoot, she said.

So far this year, the town has lost its video-rental store, coffee roasting company, All About Me gift boutique, Montgomery House bed and breakfast, a real estate company, a drafting/engineering firm and the Cameron Glass bottle making company, Leatzow said.

Five additional businesses were lost due to two separate fires. When the Heritage Square building burned down June 10, it took three business: an antique store, coffee shop and Ruby Moon Day Spa. A fire last month at Kimmi’s Alaskan Grill, located next to city hall, has closed that business, as well as the Good Day Market.

Among other revival ideas the chamber is kicking around is starting a “Kalamazon” Web site that would enable local businesses to showcase their products online without the expenses of creating their own Web pages, Leatzow said.

Members are also talking about ways to capitalize on Kalama’s connection to “Twilight” — the book-based movie that filmed in part at Kalama High School. Fans of the book series from all over the world have made special trips to Kalama just to see the school.

A new opportunity to market Kalama’s connection to “Twilight” created a buzz at Tuesday’s chamber meeting. A woman contacted one chamber member about involving the city with a celebration being organized in St. Helens to celebrate the June birthday of one of the story’s main characters, Edward.

“I’m excited to see where that goes,” Leatzow said.

Another chamber initiative involves encouraging town businesses to include discount coupons in the chamber’s quarterly newsletter, which is mailed to every address in the Kalama zip code area. The idea is to encourage residents to shop locally, Leatzow said.

The chamber is digging into its cash reserves to pay for some of these initiative, but it’s necessary, Leatzow said.

“In a down economy, we’re going to support our businesses. We’re going to spend money as a chamber in order to capture business during the upswing.”