What happened to our corner shops?

What happened to the good old corner shops?

They were real life savers in their day. Many times when our large family didn't have anything left to eat we relied on them.

If it wasn't for the tick these places allowed you, how would lots of families have made ends meet?

In the terrible winters we had then, when travelling was difficult, not everyone had cars, how would we have managed without them?

How many times has the little corner shop helped us out?

Then what do we do? We desert them in droves, all for the sake of a few coppers less on the price at the supermarkets.

Strange few of us feel any pangs of guilt as they close one by one, and are turned back into houses. After all they have done for us!

The best of the corner shopkeepers knew most of their customers by name and sold just about everything.

These open all hours places are now sadly few and far between. People didn't just go in for food, it was the best place to hear the latest gossip or news of what was going on in your neighbourhood.

People cared about each then and you could leave your backdoor open without fear of anyone nicking your telly, if you were lucky enough to afford one.

I can't help but think how empty our streets look without the good old corner shop.

I remember the orange sign on the outside of the now sadly gone Ivy Street stores, how it used to welcome us up the steep hill, for two ounces of sweets on pocket money day.