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Although the holiday shopping season has been slow at her store so far, Laurel business owner Debbie Zook knows it could be worse.

The longtime Laurel resident has owned and operated Rainbow Florist and Delectables, located on Main Street, with her husband and son for 25 years. This summer, she watched nearby Barkman's Flower Shop, a presence on Main Street for 60 years, shut its doors.

"I'm still in business, so I'm very fortunate," she said. "We just have to weather the storm."

Zook is among several business owners on Laurel's Main Street who said business has been slow but remain hopeful sales will pick up as the Christmas holiday nears.

Matthew Coates, a director of the Laurel Board of Trade, said businesses around Prince George's County and beyond have seen their numbers drop this holiday season in comparison to last December.

Coates, who owns a photography studio on Main Street, said he believes the economy has not been as devastating to people in the Baltimore-Washington corridor as it has in other parts of the country, but he cautions that it does not mean people are spending money.

"Folks are just afraid," Coates said. "They're just holding onto their money right now because they don't know what's going to happen."

At Rainbow Florist, the fight to stay afloat has brought about a number of changes — including reducing staff from the 22 employees Zook had three years ago to 11 today. Zook said she has also purchased less inventory this holiday season and has eliminated collectibles and other items to narrow her focus on flowers and gift baskets, which she said are popular with corporate customers during the holiday season.

Rainbow Florist depends on seasonal items, including gifts for other holidays like Valentine's Day, for between 15 and 20 percent of its earnings, Zook said.

At the Crystal Fox, a Main Street store that carries eclectic jewelry, incense, herbs and Pagan items, owner Sterling Gallagher of Laurel said his holiday sales have also been slow so far, but the store's gradual growth over the past two or three years will make up for a decline in this quarter's sales. He said similar shops in College Park and Gaithersburg have closed in the past few years, and the Crystal Fox, which draws customers from as far away as Virginia and southern Pennsylvania, has likely picked up some of their business.

Even so, Gallagher has noticed a drop in the number of holiday customers and their purchases.

"I certainly have seen smaller sales," he said. "There's a lot of people [who] don't want to go over 20 bucks."

The Chamber Room, another Main Street specialty shop, sells jewelry, swords and mythical figures, among other items. Because the store caters to a niche market, owner Cindy Senter of Essex said she is surprised at how the economic downturn has impacted her business. She is hoping customers are just putting off their holiday shopping a bit longer this year.

"When the economy gets bad, they tend to kind of hold on, and they'll do the last-minute thing," Senter said.

Zook is also hoping for a last-minute bump in holiday shoppers. In retail, she said, the holiday shopping season usually starts three weeks before Christmas.

"I think this year it's going to be two weeks," she said.

If things don't pick up, Coates said it is possible a drop in holiday sales could close some businesses on Main Street, which he said currently has about five vacant stores.

"It takes revenue to stay in business," he said. "If the customers aren't coming, there's nothing we can do."