There's a little corner shop conveniently around the corner from us. It's an electrical and household shop and very useful. If you need an odd sized light bulb, battery, bin bag or something of that ilk, they invariably have it in stock. Over the seven years that we've lived here, I reckon they've saved me a fortune in petrol by not having to drive along to one of the DIY superstores which have proliferated around the edge of town.
I'm afraid that until last week I took the place very much for granted, until we noticed that it was closing down, which it duly did yesterday. I hope that the proprietor is going on to a prosperous retirement and it's beginning to dawn on me just how useful little local shops like this are. Do we really want to buy everything from out-of-town retail behemoths?