Shoppers in North Windham have wondered why there isn’t a Target, an Olive Garden or more clothing and shoe stores in the region’s commercial hub, said Economic Development Director Tom Bartell.

A new study aims to identify 30 businesses that would thrive in Windham.

The Retail Coach, a consulting firm based in Texas and Mississippi, was hired by the Town Council on Tuesday to analyze the town’s retail market.

The firm proposes to evaluate the lifestyles and spending habits of the area’s residents and compile an inventory of stores and restaurants in the region to figure out what’s missing from Windham and what its market can support.

The study, a $38,500 expense, is also meant to help existing businesses better understand what their customers want to buy, Bartell said.

Since the onset of the nation’s economic downturn, business owners have been wondering what they can do “to make their cash registers ring,” said Barbara Clark, executive director of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.

Information about who’s shopping in Windham could help them adjust their product lines to capitalize on their customer base, she said.

Windham was hit harder than most places by the recession, according to an analysis by Bartell. He showed that sales there dropped by 18 percent from 2006 to 2010, while sales statewide dropped by 4 percent during the same period.

Still, Windham’s vacancy rate last year was the lowest in Greater Portland, at 3.7 percent. The state’s was just over 6 percent, according to a presentation at the Maine Real Estate & Development Association conference last month.

Bartell said he believes the vacancy rate wasn’t dramatically affected by the downturn because Windham didn’t overbuild when the economy was stronger.

“There wasn’t wild speculation about retail growth in the area,” he said.

The most recent analysis of Windham’s retail market was done in 1997 and updated in 2005, Bartell said.

Since then, he said, more sophisticated methods for tracking sales have been developed, including using ZIP codes associated with credit card numbers to find out where shoppers live.

Using the demographics gathered, The Retail Coach proposes to put together packets targeted at specific companies. The packets would include maps of the companies’ other locations and the driving time between them.

The firm’s work beyond the market analysis will include creating a resource guide to the town, with information about local developers, planned infrastructure projects and zoning requirements.

The Retail Coach also plans to hold a business seminar for existing retailers.

The ultimate goal of working with those store owners and attracting new ones is “to get the right mix” of products in the area, said Clark, “so people don’t have to go to Portland or the mall.”

Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:

lbridgers@pressherald.com