A man walks past the "Coffee To Get Her" restaurant near Dublin city centre which becomes a bar and club in the evenings October 8, 2012. Thousands of small shops and businesses have closed up over the past few years of Europe's economic downturn, especially in the so-called "PIIGS" countries of Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Among the shuttered businesses, many remain open, and they credit their survival to sticking to the basics: focusing on customers and quality, staying flexible and looking for creative solutions, keeping prices reasonable and - perhaps most important of all - avoiding taking out loans. Leandro Virgilio, 37, runs a daytime Italian cafe in Dublin that becomes a bar at night, allowing him to share the costs with the other business owner. "I serve good quality food at an affordable price," he said. His advice to others in these difficult economic times: "Grow slowly and try and keep your start-up costs to a minimum." Picture taken October 8, 2012. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton (IRELAND - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)

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