Shopping locally this Christmas would not only give retailers the gift of hope but could be the difference between them staying open or closing their doors, said Carrick Gill-Vallance.

The general manager of Albury Business Connect, formerly known as Albury Northside Chamber, said many retailers were running on empty, financially and emotionally.

"I think it's really important we have a sense of empathy and understanding for our business community, they've weathered a huge storm," he said.

"They've depleted their financial reserves... they've depleted their mental energy capital as well, their reserves of strength to keep going.

"It's important we shop local so we can charge them back up and give retailers and service providers the support and energy they need to keep going, because we're not out of the woods yet."

Jedda Hindmarsh, who owns Wodonga retail and hospitality venture That Little Place, said this year has been an exhausting roller coaster of fires, lockdowns and border closures.

She said despite restrictions easing Wodonga retailers - who experienced two lockdowns - were still doing it tough as residents flock to mask free Albury.

Mrs Hindmarsh said small businesses need the community's support.

"It's been heartbreaking on a personal level to see people on social media getting excited about shopping in Albury because it's mask free," she said.

"It's been heartbreaking [they're bypassing Wodonga] for the inconvenience of wearing a mask for three minutes while they're in store."

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Business Wodonga's Graham Jenkin said the mandatory use of masks in Victoria meant residents from across the North East were travelling to Albury rather than shopping in their towns or other regional Victoria cities like Wodonga or Wangaratta.

"We're still seeing a mass exodus of Wodonga residents to Albury due to people being happy to wander around shopping without wearing masks," he said.

Mr Jenkin said a Christmas shopping boost could help Wodonga businesses stay open.

"This could be make or break for them long term," he said.

"Many have gone into significant debt in this period and a show of support from locals could give them enthusiasm for the future."

Mrs Hindmarsh fears if the mask rules remain in Victoria, the reopening of the border next Monday will create more pain to Wodonga retailers.

"I'm quite concerned about the border reopening, it's my fear the situation will only get worse when there's nothing stopping people getting to Albury," she said.

"How much worse will it be for us when you don't need to have a permit and can waltz over anytime, no queue, no permit?"

While restrictions have eased in Victoria, the damage done by two lockdowns will not be reversed overnight.

"The impact was massive, absolutely massive, during both lockdowns we couldn't have any sit-down customers or social groups which we have daily... that entire income stream was lost to us in a blink of an eye," Mrs Hindmarsh said.

Mr Gill-Vallance said on average Albury businesses lost $8000 to $8500 per week during the height of the border closure.

"It's going to take a long time to recover that, businesses had to consolidate, retract, lay people off and really evaluate what they're doing," he said.

"To recover fully is going to take time, you can't flick a switch and have that happen overnight."

Shopping local this Christmas will give retailers a much needed boost and show them they are valued, he said.

"The support you can show local business now means a lot financially to them to help keep the business going, but it's also a sign of respect," Mr Gill-Vallance said.

Mr Gill-Vallance said supporting local businesses also helps keep residents employed.

"Without shopping and spending money locally we're allowing our money to go out of the community and local economy," he said.

"It's affecting the employment of our friends and our family, it's in the best interests of everyone to think local."

Mrs Hindmarsh's store focuses on selling locally sourced items.

"For a lot of my supplier, especially the smaller ones, they rely on markets and haven't had the opportunity to do markets," she said.

"To get a boost at Christmas could be make or break.

"Every time you spend a dollar locally it stays in the community, so look for those small locally owned businesses and keep that dollar circulating in the community as long as possible.

"Once that dollar is spent online or in a large department store it's gone from the community."

In September, Albury Business Connect launched an Albury CBD gift-card which residents can purchase and redeem at more than 60 businesses.

Mr Gill-Vallance said the card was an ideal gift this Christmas as it allowed residents to support Albury businesses while still allowing the recipient to chose from a range of gifts.

Already 300 cards have been purchased, worth $20,000.

Business Wodonga have teamed up with TAFE Wodonga to create a pop-up store selling Christmas hampers full of local produce and items.

Mr Jenkin said already 600 hampers had been sold with 100 per cent of the sale price being returned to vendors as the TAFE students working were using it as a training exercise for their course.