Small businesses always have to struggle to retain their business. A faltering economy does not help. So what are the ways a small business can survive in a struggling economy? I am resident of New Jersey. Last week, I decided to go up to Flemington, NJ to buy some dinnerware. A friend knew of some shops there that had unique china. Well, we got there to find a ghost town! Apparently, the economy caused so much damage that most if not all the shops had closed down. These were shops that had been there for twenty years or more!