Restaurant and Bar sales down 19% in Bisbee

Bisbee, Arizona, located 90 miles from any major highway, started feeling the pinch from higher gas prices at the end of 2007. "Business Week" reported that while the 130-year-old mining town had 58,000 visitors in 2007, up 16% from 2006, restaurant and bar sales were down 19% in December. According to Wikipedia, Bisbee was featured in the 1957 film "3:10 to Yuma," as well as its 2007 remake.

Consumer Sentiment Drops to 28 Year Low

Consumers' sentiment dropped to a 28-year low in early May of 2008, as reflected by the 59.5 University of Michigan index. Survey Director Richard Curtin told "Forbes" that "all of the the early May decline was among households with incomes below $75,000." According to Curtin, "record number of consumers... (9 out of 10)... said the economy is in a recession."

26 Billion Dollars of Angel Investments in 2007

Despite the weakening U.S. economy, angels invested $26 billion into 57,120 ventures last year, according to the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research. The dollar amount invested represented a 1.8 percent increase over 2006, while the number of entrepreneurial ventures receiving angel funding represented a 12 percent increase. Studies show that entrepreneurs with good ideas who start their businesses in down economies will do better, as they will benefit from the lower cost of land, labor, and purchased goods and services.