For Natalia Kirichenko, soldiers have been a priceless source of income. The shop assistant said servicemen were regular customers and bought the most items, especially knives and daggers.
"Like us, many people have returned to Kramatorsk, but they don't have any money," the 56-year-old added, saying she had no choice but to resume work.
Although she received state aid while the shop was shut for three months, she said it was far from enough to make ends meet.
"When we hear pretty powerful bombardment coming from one side or the other, we feel the threat and wonder what awaits us," said a resigned Kirichenko.
Miroshnichenko said that the hardest thing about getting to work without a car was the unpredictable nature of using public transport in wartime.
"The tram stops every time the bomb sirens go off," she said. The alarms sound several times per day and Miroshnichenko has had to brave a 50-minute walk to her shop since it reopened for business.
The struggle to get around Kramatorsk has prompted Vladimir Pozolotin's bicycle centre to resume service, the shop employee said, speaking from the basement of a building.
"Many have asked me on my YouTube channel when we were going to reopen because some are scared of taking the car. Others have no petrol or don't want to join long queues at service stations," he explained.
"So they buy a bicycle or come to get theirs repaired," said the 33-year-old, who pedals four kilometres (2.5 miles) every day to commute between his home and work.
Customer numbers are only 10 percent of what they were before the war, but "it's better than nothing," the young man said with a smile.
Pozolotin has remained in Kramatorsk throughout the war and said he has grown accustomed to the distant rumble of shelling that is sparing the city for now.
"If it falls near here, we'll see," he said.
As for the prospect of the city being seriously imperilled, he was unequivocal in his commitment to Kramatorsk.
"Leave? But where?"
