Оригинал:
There were essentially two types of shop in the town: empty shops and coffee shops. Some of the empty shops, according to signs in their windows, were in the process of being converted into coffee shops, and many of the coffee shops, judging by their level of custom, looked as if they weren’t far off becoming empty shops again.

Спасибо!

cus·tom
n.
4. (Commerce) habitual patronage, esp of a shop or business
5. (Commerce) the customers of a shop or business collectively

т.е. their level of custom ~= насколько они посещаемы