Old World Inn owner Russ Herschelmann said his B&B guests regularly ask him about things to do in downtown Napa and where to shop 

Those who venture downtown return saying they wished more businesses were open after hours.

Merchants hear the same lament. “We constantly hear, ‘How come no one else is open?’” said Brenda Roberts of Baker Street Tobacco, Clocks & Gifts.

Inspired by guest feedback, a group of 14 local B&B owners have begun a grassroots campaign to help downtown merchants recognize business they might be missing after 5 p.m.

The innkeepers have printed up 1,000 business card-sized handouts printed with the words “Wish You Were Open.”

B&B guests will be encouraged to slip the “Wish You Were Open” cards under the doors of businesses they wanted to visit, but found closed.

“We’re hoping that it will help those that find cards under the door understand what’s happening after hours,” said Herschelmann.

Wish You Were Open “is a subtle way to say, ‘Hey, wake up merchants,’” Roberts said. “I already know what the results are going to be.

“I think it’s ingenious and I hope merchants pay attention.”

Roberts is already open later, until 8 p.m. most nights, and 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

“The people who have money work during the day so if you want them to shop, be open when they can shop.”

Ken Pope of the Cedar Gables Inn said his guests want to go downtown, “But where do they want to go? Until we start getting the cards out there, we don’t know.”

The Napa Downtown Association board approved the new idea. “It’s a good way to do some free marketing,” said Craig Smith, the association’s executive director.

Smith’s been after downtown businesses for years to extend hours. Some local strip malls feature later hours, but downtown businesses typically close between 5 and 6 p.m.

But, “There’s a number of folks who are mom and pop shops and at the end of the day they want to go home,” he said.

According to research, 75 percent of all retail business is done on Saturday, Sunday and after 5 p.m. on weekdays, said Smith.

Napa Downtown Association President Joe Salerno believes downtown retailers eventually will stay open later.

“The restaurant scene is bringing in foot traffic, tourism is growing and hotels are being built. Now you will start to see (more) specialty stores coming in,” he predicted.

Salerno thinks retailers will eventually need to reconsider closing at 5 p.m.

“Eighteen months from now it’s going to be a different picture,” said Salerno.

Sandra Call of The Eye Works supports Wish You Were Open.

“If we can justify it, we’d be more than happy to stay open,” she said. “I think it’s great we can collaborate. What do we have to lose? It will be interesting if it works.”

Her business stays open till 7 p.m. weeknights, 9 p.m. Fridays and 6 p.m. Saturdays.

“If there were 12 business cards on Monday morning, we’d have to say, ‘Well, maybe we should be open on Sundays.’”

“As downtown gets busier, I hope we will have to be open later,” said Call.

Sandy Jones of the Learning Faire said her store is only open later during the holiday season.

“We never felt we had the business at night,” she said. “If a number of people asked us to be open, it might change the way we’d think.”

Connie Egan of Yarns on First is one of the few downtown merchants open late, with shop hours until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8. But she admits it can be lonely downtown at night.

“The number of customers I get even after 5 p.m. diminishes.”

The late hours on Wednesdays are for a weekly knit night. “People work, so we have one night a week where people sit and knit and talk. I am committed to staying open on Wednesday nights.”

If it wasn’t for knit night, “I don’t know if I would stay open,” said Egan. “I don’t attract a lot of drop-in customers. I am a destination store.”

Lynne Robar, manager at the Beaded Nomad, said the store usually closes at 6 p.m.

“If we chose to stay till 7 p.m. we’d be the only one still open. And that’s a problem. If there are more people staying open at night, we’d follow suit,” said Robar.

Robar said tourists like to shop later. “‘Why does everyone close so soon?’ they ask. I say, ‘Well, that’s Napa. We’re a small town.’”

“For downtown to be successful, we need merchants who understand how business works,” said Roberts. “I feel like we are lacking in that now. We need to change the thinking of some of the merchants.”

Herschelmann understands the new program may provide mixed results.

“I’m sure there will be some merchants that don’t find a lot of cards — that might tell them what they already know. And there may be some merchants that are surprised” to find cards, he said.

“We want to be part of the downtown revitalization,” said Pope. “We want to be supportive and helpful to merchants downtown. It’s a relationship. If they win, we win.”

Participating B&B owners should begin handing out cards in the next few weeks. The group has also created a Web site, www.wishyouwereopen.com.

For now the effort is limited to local B&Bs. But if successful, the program may expand.

“If it’s something that catches on and the local hoteliers are interested, we’re happy to share it with them,” said Herschelmann.