Loveland, Colo. -- Long before corporations began marketing themselves as "green" or stewards of the environment, Collins Collision Products was carving out a niche by chrome-plating steel bumpers and remanufacturing plastic bumper fascias.  This was not only good for the environment, but provided shop owners an alternative to using new OEM parts, said Tempy Bowman, vice president of sales and marketing for Collins Collision Products.

With higher prices curtailing driving (and thus accidents) and tighter household budgets leading some vehicle owners to leave damage unrepaired, some collision repair shops are reporting 10, 20, or even 30 percent drops in sales.  Whether hit hard or moderately, most shop owners are looking for ways to keep their businesses moving during the slowdown. Here are 15 things some shop owners--particularly those who have experienced similar economic situations in earlier decades-–are doing to respond.