There have been many troubled days for trader Elinor Syversen in Bograngen since Norway closed the border in early March.

The staff has been laid off, opening hours are limited and she has sought all the support that is available. Nevertheless, the very existence of the shop is more than a hundred years old.

- It's up and down everything. It wasn't on the world map that the border would be closed, she says, shaking her head.

How long do you manage?

- I do not know. I do not know.

Loss of sales between 80-95 percent

Around 270 people live in the area around Bograngen, but with six kilometers to the national border, the customer base has nevertheless been secured. And there are many sparsely populated stores struggling for their survival right now.

According to the Swedish Trade Association, many of the members at the 160-mile-long Norwegian border report a loss of between 80 and 95 percent of sales.

- We receive reports of dramatic sales losses and a squeezed situation along the entire border. The business idea for these stores is that we can travel and move around. It is a tough blow, says Hans Tjernström Carraro, Press Manager at Svenska Handel.

Hope on the Norwegian government

For the residents of Bograngen, it is not just food purchases that are at stake. The store is also post office, pharmacy, representative for Systembolaget and return office for library books.

The hope is now that the Norwegian government, after all, chooses to open the border again and remove the quarantine rules that stop the Norwegian travelers. But Elinor Syversen is pessimistic.

- No, I doubt it. I don't think they do.

What then?

- Yes we have to fight on and see how long we can handle it.