Jeff Norwood, a tanned, middle-aged salesman at Lake Ray Roberts Marina, drifts between row after row of used sailboats and schooners — stacked and ready to be spruced up and sold at a discount.

DRC/David Minton

This boat, which survived Hurricane Ike when it hit Kemah, waits to be purchased at Lake Ray Roberts Marina on Saturday. According to boat retailer Jeff Norwood, there are many customers who have the means to spend on large boats, but today’s buyers are much more specific in what they want and will delay their purchases until they find exactly the boat they are looking for.

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But Norwood is awash in big, brand-new, high-priced yachts and houseboats. As he faces a punishing recession, finding buyers for a $150,000-plus craft is about as easy as finding water in the Sahara.

In Denton County, sales of high-priced luxury goods — yachts, jewelry, fine art, motorcycles and high-end real estate — are taking it on the chin. Art galleries are slashing prices like never before, or closing their doors. Area jewelry stores’ sales are down, and display cases are brimming with high-priced gems.

Most owners are refurbishing their existing boats instead of upgrading to newer models. And those who are upgrading are spending far less than in previous years.

“No one is buying new,” Norwood said.

He has been selling luxury boats — yachts in the $2 million range — for more than three decades. It was a lucrative field. In 2008, he sold $1.5 million worth of watercraft, which earned him and the marina a 10 percent commission. These days, his commission is off about 75 percent, he says. Most of the boats he sells cost less than $75,000, many less than $20,000.

“It’s just like selling popcorn instead of a steak dinner,” he said.

The decline in new boat purchases is affecting more than local salesmen. Since dealers aren’t stocking new boats, assembly lines are grinding to a halt while factories send employees home in droves.

“The marine industry is doing everything it can to keep its doors open,” Norwood said.

“Demand for expensive luxury items will tend to fall in hard economic times,” said Michael A. McPherson, an economics professor at the University of North Texas.

At Oxide Gallery, near the Denton Square, a row of floor-to-ceiling windows floods the space with light, emphasizing the scattered display of artwork docked on pedestals and wall panels. Outside, the parking lot sits empty, as is the showroom.

The door swings open wildly as a small and serious-looking woman swoops inside. Nikki Coulombe, a local artist, dashes to a large canvas displaying a batch of muslin maple leaves and begins repairing a broken light bulb affixed to the back. Originally priced at $2,500, she’s lowered the piece to $1,500 to attract a buyer. She’s slashed the price on most of her work by the hundreds, and is looking for a second job to supplement her husband’s income. Recently laid off, he’s no longer able to financially support her career as an artist.

As Coulombe works, Warren Hooper, the gallery owner, flits between framed acrylics, watercolors and mixed-media pieces ranging in price from $1,800 to $5,000.

When the gallery first opened, artists flocked to it.

“I thought it would be like mining for diamonds, but it was like finding pure-cut stones,” Hooper said of the art he discovered.

Denton residents haven’t been purchasing fine art. The grand opening party sold more that night than any other month to date. Hooper said the second anniversary party only “sold enough to cover the wine.”

The gallery shares space with Linwood-Alford Florist, a business Hooper’s family bought six years ago that isn’t doing any better. A large refrigerated case houses a few generic, made-to-order bouquets — the only item consumers will buy. Fancy floral arrangements are out. Cheap, grocery store bouquets are in.

“My industry is dying as I know it,” Hooper said.

On a rainy Wednesday morning, the parking lot at the Harley-Davidson dealership along Interstate 35E in Corinth is empty. The mechanics there know that when the weather is good, so are sales. At least, they used to be.

Gary Mackie sits at a cluttered work station in the garage, surrounded by a pack of chatty service technicians. He breaks away from the circle and begins evaluating the day’s work.

“It’s terrible,” he said of the current economy as he scanned the nearly empty garage. “The national average of bike sales is down.”

He said he’s noticed about a 15 percent decline in business over the last year.

“We’re hurting because we’ve had some really good years,” Mackie said.

Not all is lost.

As the recession has made the job market more competitive, Justin Barrow, of the drycleaner Vogue Cleaners, has seen an influx of new customers. Denton residents looking to gain a competitive edge in the cutthroat job market are turning to dry cleaners to help them look their best.

The establishment cleans and stores some of Denton’s most luxurious furs, so some of Barrow’s customers are million-dollar earners, but most are adults who earn average incomes hoping to give their off-the-rack suits an upgrade.

“It’s in style to be thrifty,” he said. “Cheap is the new chic.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is one of a collection written by University of North Texas journalism students as part of a feature writing course. This year’s stories deal with the challenges facing everyone in light of the global economic downturn. Other students’ stories will be showcased in Denton Up Close, an annual publication to be included in next Sunday’s edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.