Most local retailers say sales have fallen dramatically in the past year, and for those that have run numbers already, a 50 to 60 percent reduction is typical. It’s hard to count the ways in which 2020 has tested small businesses, and even without the tougher restrictions imposed on restaurants and high-contact businesses like hair salons and gyms, it’s been a uniquely rough year for all enterprises.

Now, at the time of year in which most small retailers have traditionally relied on a boost to put them in the black, traffic remains slow.

“We’re definitely feeling the effects,” said Sherri Dechaine, owner of Woof! Woof! on Bradford Street. “Maybe not as much as the restaurants, but business is definitely not the same.”

Courtney Libby, co-owner of Therapy with Amy Silva, was prepared for the slowdown. Not only did they shrink the footprint of Therapy (located within New Leaf, Ms. Silva’s salon on State Street) in response to the salon’s need to expand for social distancing, they actually changed some of their stock.

“The trend was away from fashion, and more towards comfort items, like blankets, candles, and wine glasses,” said Ms. Libby. “We just didn’t predict that it would last this long.”

Susan Curtis at Paper, Packaging, and Panache on Hope Street also changed her buying strategy for the pandemic holiday season — she didn’t buy as much stock, in anticipation of slower sales.

“I ordered less so now I’m actually running a little low on some things. But I really didn’t want to head into the slow season with extra inventory and a stack of bills.”

At the same time, even if she wanted extra stock at this time, suppliers are struggling to keep up. According to Ms. Curtis, even Crane, the iconic 220-year-old stationery company, has not been able to deliver their full line of products, having laid off 85 percent of their staff during the pandemic.

Ms. Curtis admits her perception of the season is a little skewed by the fact that she is currently working on her own, as the layout of the cash register and gift-wrapping area would leave employees in very close contact with one another.

“I didn’t think it was a good idea to be bumping into people, and neither did the others,” she said. “It’s hard to tell how business is going, because right now I feel really busy. But I suspect that’s because I’m by myself.”

Shop local, stay safe

“Bristol has done a really nice job of organizing events that have brought some people to shop downtown, from the State Street fair to Santa’s Workshops,” said Justin Marks of Wink, on State Street, who is grateful that retail was spared from the governor’s most recent pause mandate.

“Given what’s been going on, I can’t really complain, though sales have certainly been influenced.” He is finding people are making an effort to shop locally.

“Customers are very nice, and enthusiastic about shopping at a small, local business,” he said.

Ms. Libby agreed. “Even though the foot traffic is down, the people who do come in say they are really making an effort to shop locally,” she said. “It’s safer, too. Small business owners have so much more to lose, so they want people to feel safe.”

“Everyone is very kind, and patient with the restrictions,” said Ms. Curtis. “Normally we get a lot of last-minute local shoppers, but I’m seeing those people earlier this year.”

Online not always an option

Therapy already had an online presence at the start of the pandemic, so it was an easy shift for them to offer affordable shipping or curbside pickup, though it still doesn’t begin to compensate for the loss of seasonal foot traffic. Other retailers have had their hands full just staying above water, so delving into e-commerce these past few months hasn’t been something they were able to easily take on. Others would have liked to, but have not had the resources.

“We do online through Shopify,” said Ms. Dechaine of Woof!Woof! “But in order to really have a functional online site, I needed to update my software.”

She applied for a state “adaptation grant” for Woof! Woof!, a business she has successfully run in downtown Bristol for nearly a decade. Following a process she likened to taking out a mortgage, she was denied.

“We really aren’t getting any help from the state,” Ms. Dechaine said, particularly in comparison to what she sees from the state of Massachusetts, where she has another shop, in New Bedford. “Rhode Island still wants their fees on time; Mass. has given us a six-month extension on everything. Rhode Island says, ’pay up or we’re pulling your permits’.”

Open for last-minute shoppers

From Black Friday sales to tagging on to the few holiday events that have been held this year, retailers saw modest bumps, but nothing that approached the business normally generated by events like the Holiday Preview or the Snowflake Raffle (which will be live streamed on Facebook this Sunday, Dec. 20, at 6 p.m., at .) Retailers are hopeful that last-minute shoppers will turn up this year; every retailer we spoke to said they are planning to be open daily from now until Christmas.

A note of optimism

Ms. Dechaine also noted that some of the business slowdown this season may be due to the closing of other small, local businesses that, together drew more shoppers into town. Still, she and the other business owners, all intend to be around for a dramatically improved 2021 holiday season.

“We’re going to get through,” Ms. Dechaine said. “We are good at surviving here and adapting, and we will make the best of it.”