‘The erosion of small shops is viewed as the erosion of the social glue that binds communities together.’
High Street Britain: 2015


Most cities, towns and even villages have a corner shop and these can be seen as a testament to our society and culture; the shop at one end of the street and the pub on the other.

In addition to their visual/physical mark on the city landscape corner shops help communicate the character of our society. Many are owned by immigrants and are often run by their descendants and remain open all hours, seven days a week. The shop often occupies the ground floor whilst the owner lives above; some are fitted with metal mesh frames to protect windows from acts of vandalism.

Every shop has its own character reflecting the needs of the communities who reside in the area. Mostly they serve the special needs of a particular culture: Polish, Italian, Indian, Pakistani, etc.

Great care is taken over the minimalist composition of each photograph with road names being included wherever possible.