10 Wildly Successful Businesses Thriving Despite the Economy

While most of us are still trying to move past Ramen noodles and dry cereal, there are plenty of businesses that have continued to live large in the face of a less-than-fruitful economy. The 10 businesses on our list have withstood the test of time and taxes, and are making serious profits in several unique industries. From internet giant Google to liquor stores and pawn shops, it’s encouraging to know that there’s still money to be made out there – Just not so much in real estate and motor vehicles.

Google

Liquor Stores

When times are tough, people tend to take to the bottle. Booze can warm your insides, provide false confidence and wash the pain of a bad day away (even if only to bring on intense brain pain the following morning). So it’s no surprise that the next two alcohol-related businesses on our list are still making money. Let’s look at liquor stores. An always-popular destination for friends and families during the holidays (The meaning of Christmas is Bloody Marys before noon, right?), liquor stores have thrived from being a home for liquid comfort/courage in the midst of tough times. And according to one store owner, he figures that “Because of the questions in the economy … [people aren’t] going out as much. But they are entertaining at home, so consequently a lot of the sales that maybe would go to a bar or restaurant is actually coming [to liquor stores].”And it’s true! While somewhat anti-social, there’s really nothing better than pizza, PJS and a big ol’ bottle of Pinot to ease the mind.

myopenbar.com

Except for maybe bottomless mimosas. Cheap bottomless mimosas. Or free Drambuie? Myopenbar.com is a website that points trendy poor people in the direction of cheap and/or free drink specials all over NYC. To date, they have more than 30,000 subscribers, but they’ve been trying to help folks find all-you-can-drink dives since 2005. It wasn’t until the recent recession that bars, restaurants and clubs started fighting for event listings on their site, as a recent study by the Nielsen Company claimed that people aren’t poppin’ bottles in public as much as they used to. Seva Granik, one of the company’s co-founders, told the New York Times in an email that “the bad economy is doing nothing but helping us. We’re probably the only company we know of that’s doing very well because of the downturn.” Cheers to that! Now where exactly can we get some cheap champagne?

Haircuts

But if you’re going to go out, get sloppy, and end up puking in a bathroom stall, you should at least make sure that your hair looks good when it’s being held back by a handsome stranger or equally drunk friend. Which brings us to another thriving businesses on our list: haircuts. ‘Cause if you can’t be rich, at least you can look rich, right? The Census Bureau recently reported that hairdressers, barber shops and salons are sprouting up all over the country at an increased rate of between 8-18% in certain areas. One of the reasons why haircutting ventures have continued to succeed is because “women may slow down with how often they get their hair done, but they’ll always get it done ,” says one stylist. Another salon owner noted “it’s not like other industries where you’re trying to find customers. The customers are trying to find you.”