After a decade in business, The Tin Cupboard owner Paige Martens says this year has been the most unpredictable yet, highlighting the challenges facing small businesses as households tighten spending.

Celebrating the store's 10th year in Grenfell, Paige said changing consumer behaviour and ongoing economic uncertainty had made it increasingly difficult to plan ahead.

"I would say it's our 10th year in business this year and it's the most unpredictable one we've had," she said.

"Usually we can go off previous years, where this year it's kind of like we've gone back to starting from scratch as to what we order."

While sales have softened Paige said the continued support of local customers had been vital to the business.

"We are lucky we have very loyal local support," she said.

"Our sales are down, but we've still got the support coming in."

Paige believes cost-of-living pressures are influencing how people spend their money, with discretionary purchases often the first to be cut back.

"I think it's the uncertainty of everything," she said.

"Everything's going up and people have got to make sacrifices. We're a luxury, we're a want, not a need, so we're very aware of that."

Despite the challenges she remains optimistic about the role the wider community and tourism can play in supporting local businesses.

She said a strong harvest would provide a welcome boost to the local economy, while increased visitor numbers were already making a difference.

"If Grenfell can have a good harvest, that's always handy," she said.

"We've seen increased numbers of visitors, which is helping with what the girls at the tourism office are doing."

However Paige said the current business environment remained difficult to predict.

"It's very unpredictable," she said.

For Paige the future of small businesses in regional towns ultimately depends on the communities they serve.

"If we didn't have the support from the locals, we wouldn't be here.

"As challenging as things are, we're very lucky to have that continued support," Paige added.