What tough economy? With a little luck and a lot of savvy, local women are opening or continuing successful businesses with thriving clientele – who, thanks to word-of-mouth, only seem to multiply.

“If you open up a high-end business, you tend to stay in business longer,” explained Denise Thompson, owner of Artisan Framing & Gallery at 293 Main St. in Niantic. “Part of what makes you successful is knowing your business.”

Thompson offers custom framing, restoration and a fine art gallery at her shop. “I’m trying to bring the same aesthetic I had before to Niantic,” she said. “There is a really nice mix of abstract and traditional art here.”

She moved from Hebron to Marlborough in 2009 and thought that would be her last move. She was a little apprehensive about losing clients when she relocated, but learned she had nothing to worry about. “People will follow you if you’re good at what you do,” she said.

Thompson has been in business for 12 years working for frame shops and galleries, and was also a retail manager at one point. She said she found her current location on the Internet. “I came down on a Friday night in the middle of winter and the streets were packed!” she said. “I couldn’t find a place to park. They’ve done a tremendous job on Main Street with urban renewal. I knew I wanted the space as soon as I saw it.”

She said a fair number of her Marlborough clients make the trek to Niantic to see her at her new shop. After all, she said, “It’s a destination point – they go to the restaurants or the beach.”

She said clients tell her that big box stores can’t do what she does. “Everything I do is archival, that’s what you pay for in these specialty frame shops,” Thompson said. “Every piece is a treasure to me.”

“I hope some more little specialty shops end up coming in,” she said. “I’m thrilled to death to be here, I can’t say enough about how welcoming everyone has been to me.”

Thompson’s formula for success is simple. “The worst thing you can do is get in over your head, especially in business,” she explained. “I knew I had to stay within my means. I knew what was palatable and not palatable for me financially and mentally.”

Another local business owner, Elayne Lynch, said that selling the right product can offer protection from the economic climate – especially if that product addresses the stress and anxiety pervading the community today.

Lynch runs fitness studio Midcoast Crossfit in Old Saybrook, which opened Oct. 1, 2010. “Public response has been great especially because it’s a business where you’re helping people feel good about themselves,” she said. “I find that with how the economy’s going and the everyday financial stress, people are looking for a release of energy and looking to feel good about themselves. People are looking for a place to come and leave their worries at the door.”

Capitalizing on some of the most basic of human wants — health and community — Lynch said she hasn’t had to struggle the way other businesses might. She added, “I feel there’s a sense of community here. ... People are building bonds and it’s intimate. The point to drive home is, at the end of the day, if you feel good about yourself it’s going to make everything else in your life fall into place.”

Mara Beckwith owns an art framing and art gallery, Studio M, LLC, which she started four years ago in Groton on the Thames River. She relocated to 29 Cottrell St. in Mystic last year. She specializes in conservation framing and promotes the education of art care. Her shop also offers a full range of graphic design services.

“The reason (the first location) worked for me was that it was a good place to start with a somewhat low rent and small investment to improve the space to set up a gallery and framing area,” she said. “I absolutely loved being on the Thames, watching the submarines and boats go by. The store was well-received by the neighborhood and people working at Pfizer and EB.”

She found she needed more parking for her clients and more space. She went on the hunt for a larger space and a serendipitous connection with a friend got her into the building on Cottrell Street, which is three times larger than her original place.

She said she works hard to keep the front window display fresh and inviting.

“I am able to have more frame samples and I am changing the front gallery every month, featuring a new artist,” she said.

Beckwith finds that her shop attracts tourists and local clients alike.

“The summers bring more people into the shop, as Mystic has more tourists. The locals are always coming in, and most of my clients from Groton are still coming by,” she said.

She added that offering something clients can’t get anywhere else is key. “In my case, my shop has a specialty that my customers are looking for. They come here because they want my expertise in how to frame their art and make it look the best it can look, and also to know that it has been framed with the best materials and methods. They are not going to get that kind of service at a big box store,” she said.

Beckwith finds she has another distinct advantage over her competitors. “I think that the economic environment has forced consumers to really look at all of their retail (options) and make savvier choices. I think they are buying locally rather than driving around, and making more calculated purchases than they did five years ago.”