Small businesses: Six industries on the brink of firing

The ailing economy has hit these six industries particularly hard — at least according to sales and profit figures tracked over the past decade. (Data compiled by SageWorks.)

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1. Boarding houses, dormitories and residential clubs have become less relevant in recent years as people move toward long-term hotel arrangements or short-term apartment sublets, according to Nicole Wolfgang, an economist at SageWorks.

Helayne Seidman / For The Washington Post

2. Florists and fresh flower shops are suffering as people cut back on luxury items, Wolfgang said. “It’s hard to justify flowers as a necessity,” she added.

Bill O'Leary / For The Washington Post

3. Building material and supplies dealers, which are closely tied to the construction industry, have taken a hit in recent years. Lowe's announced earlier this month that it was closing 20 stores and cutting nearly 2,000 jobs.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

4. Book, periodical and music stores are on the decline, thanks to e-books, MP3s and other electronic media sources. Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year.

Jonathan Ernst / For The Washington Post

5. Travel arrangement and reservation services have faced dwindling demand as fewer people opt for exotic vacations, Wolfgang said. She added that Internet-based travel sites like Orbitz.com and Priceline.com are also making it easier for people to book their own trips without the help of a travel agent.

Angelos Tzortzinis / Bloomberg

6. Printing services, ranging from those that specialize in commercial screens to lithography and books, are seeing declining revenue as more people switch to electronic documents and services.

Stephanie Gross / For The Washington Post

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