Business at my workplace is definitely down since '07. We're sort of treading water right now.

As the "owner" of a mom and pop not for profit, it is tight.. We've adopted a pay as you go approach to projects and asked those we help to contribute as much as they can - no give aways - even if it's just $20 a month. We're all working unpaid overtime and have put off hiring even though demand has increased. Even folks who aren't actually seeing a significant decline in wealth are experiencing "psychic poverty" due to the endless news cycle of doom. The fact remains there are enough resources to provide basic food, clothes, and shelter for the planet. The devil's in the distribution IMHO.

I am a manager at a restaurant in canal park. We've been consistently up in sales over last year and the year before. Some months as much as %22! People gotta eat and the tourists are still coming north.

I work at Northern Waters Smokehaus and we are doing great! Thanks to all the customers coming in everyday. We are busier than we have ever been. This has to do with our free advertisement on Diners Drive in and Dives. So a big thanks to them!!!

Tourism was up this summer! The bright spot
in the Northland economy. I know that is one thing I will not cut, my time on the North shore and eating in Duluth's great places.

Our sales were up this summer but expenses are also up and customer grouchiness about prices is way up. Nimbleness is de rigueur now.

Hell Burgers was paying $10,000 per month in rent and they actually provided some benefits to their employees.  It was a case of too much overhead for the revenue they were bringing in.  That's a lot of burgers to sell just to pay the rent!

OK- smoked meats and men's wrinkle cream are doing well.  I'm taking notes in case of a career change.

Claire, not sure where you work, but the book publishing industry where I'm at is ridiculously busy. I live about 1 1/2 hours from Duluth these days, but I work in Brainerd at Bang Printing as a prepress, plating, and digital print-on-demand operator. I've been on & off 10-hour, 6-day work weeks for the past 2 years. Bang is a small company, but sales & profits have been higher than they ever have been in Bang's history. I'm sure this has to do with good salesmanship, but it's also because a lot of printers across the nation were forced to close when the economy took a poop and Bang was right there to scoop up customers. Plus, Bang pays most of its employees pretty crappily, so per book prices and overhead are lower. Still, I'm surprised myself to say that the book printing industry is very much alive and kicking in this area.

Sales of most older X-Comm books are down, but not bad--certainly not as bad as anticipated. Surprisingly high number of self-pub clients this year, from individuals to large organizations. They help me support my publishing habit!

eBook revolution hasn't affected X-Comm much, as for the most part we make highly illustrated, larger (almost coffeetable) books, and most of our titles make great gifts—and a lot of sales come from visitors to the area. Still, making the eBook option available to clients and will likely convert most of our more "narrative" titles in the future. Very glad we are not publishing fiction or poetry, from a financial standpoint, anyway.

And Gwanto, we do most of our printing at Bang, including "Will to Murder," with over 50,000 copies in print! Thanks for your good work!