Walking around downtown Edgartown in February, it is easy to discover just how many ways there are to say, “We’re closed.”

There is the restrained: “Closed. See you in May.” The effusive, “We are EXCITED to be reopening on Main Street this Spring 2009!” The amicable: “Have a great winter,” and the downright cryptic: “Closed . . . Tea leaf reading is available by appointment.”

To the intrepid shopper, however, who is willing to press forward past plate glass vistas of empty shelving units and cast a stoic eye upon apologetic references to May and June, some promise yet beckons in the Edgartown retail and dining establishment.

“There is more open in Edgartown in the winter than people think,” says Claudia Canerdy, who opened her jewelry store, Claudia’s, in Edgartown in 1975, and keeps it open year-round. Amid the gleaming cases in a store totally devoid of clientele, she and employee Krista Curry stand, combing through photographs of jewelry.

“We, believe it or not, are busy at every moment,” says Ms. Canerdy. Planning purchase orders, taking inventory, repairing jewelry and general housekeeping fill up the days, she said, and when the occasional customer does come in, they are “happy that they have somewhere to buy a gift. Birthdays go on, and anniversaries, and we’re grateful for that. It’s that little dribble that’s helpful.”

Next door, Frank Folts presides over an equally under-populated Sun Dog, vendor of high quality menswear. Seated among quiet gray-brown piles of merino and stately rows of Barbour coats, Mr. Folts explains that his father, also named Frank Folts, “likes to keep it open so there’s somewhere for people to go downtown. In case somebody wants something, we’re here.”

While people rarely wander in, said Mr. Folts, they do sometimes venture into town to purchase something in particular.

The dead quiet of the store today is not a source of concern for Mr. Folts. “It’s winter on the Vineyard. It’s always been this way, it’s nothing new. It will be interesting to see what happens in the summer,” he said.

At the By the Sea Store, two veteran Vineyard businesswomen crack wise about the Vineyard in the off-season while hosting an impromptu liquidation sale. Business has been so slow today that around 1 p.m., when Barbara Morrison has to make change for a customer, she realizes she never brought out the change money from the safe. “That tells you something about business in the winter,” says Geri Averill, the store’s owner.

Ms. Averill recounts how she kept The Sea Chest running year-round in Vineyard Haven in the 1960s by taking phone bill payments and collaborating with Western Union and Avis Cars. Ms. Morrison, who opened the Yankee Bazaar on Dock street in 1960, says she never attempted to keep it open year round. “Back in those days I used to say you could lie down on Dock street on Labor Day and maybe someone would find you on Memorial Day,” she says.

Today, several Edgartown retail businesses soldier through the winter. On Main street the Edgartown Hardware Store is open every day but Sunday; Edgartown Books is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On North Summer street, the Edgartown Second Hand Store offers deals on clothing, books and housewares Tuesday through Saturday, and on North Water street Boucle Salon and Spa sells hair care products and makeup, also Tuesday through Saturday.

Even the unlikely tourist who, by some strange miscalculation happens to wash up in Edgartown harbor and require some memento of her stay, would not find herself entirely without recourse. Not only has she got the Black Dog on lower Main street (not to mention the sale at By the Sea Store), she might also find her bearings at the Edgartown Visitors’ Center, which is open between noon and three all winter long. In the summer, this self-described mom and pop business run by Tim and Dunia Toomey does a brisk trade in snacks, postcards and sodas. In the off season, says Mr. Toomey, “We’re not making a nickel,” but the center does provide a number of valuable assets, including public restrooms, a post office and a place to buy monthly and yearly bus passes.

A number of bars and eateries are open through the winter in Edgartown center, offering winter specials to draw out the locals. The Wharf, already popular for its prime rib special on Friday nights, recently added Saturday and Sunday brunch. David Ryan’s offers half-priced appetizers Monday through Friday, and two-for-one entrees on Friday and Saturday nights.

According to Amy Heil, who has bartended at the Wharf for nearly 10 years, the Edgartown restaurant community attempts to stagger their winter closings to maximize business and not leave their clientele entirely in the lurch. When the Wharf closes from Feb. 19 to March 13, patrons will find nearby David Ryan’s and the Newes From America pub open. In the fine-dining arena, Détente will close after Valentine’s Day, while Alchemy will stay open through the winter.

Other winter dinner destinations include Lattanzi’s, on weekends, the bar at the Harbor View, the Grille on Main and the Square Rigger. For breakfast, try Espresso Love, open year-round for the first time this year, or the tried-and-true Dock street coffee shop.

Matt Poole, the Edgartown health inspector, estimates that about 37 of the 82 permitted food establishments in Edgartown are truly year-round operations. The number is slightly misleading, since it includes catering companies and bakeries headquartered in the airport business park, but it hints there are a number of destinations outside of the downtown area that deserve looking into, among them China House, Depot Market, Dippin Donuts, Edgartown Pizza, the Fresh Pasta Shoppe, Morning Star, PJ’s Café, Sandwich Haven Pizza, Sharky’s Cantina, Soigné, Tropical Bakery, and the Village Market.

Just look for the signs that say “We’re open.”