The Value of Independent Shops

It's always sad when small shops close,
For it is usually true that those
Are just what gives a different air
To any small town thoroughfare.
Without them high streets all would be
In every town an endless sea
Of signs and windows all the same;
It often would be hard to name
The town or village where you were,
The high street being just a blur
Of shops whose names are everywhere,
With nothing that's distinctive there.
But little shops are not alike;
Their presence always tends to strike
A chord in those who in the past,
Knew the high street where a vast
Array of shops, with owners there
Who over years had learned to care.
Now when any small shop's closed,
It doesn't matter who's opposed
To well-known brands then moving in,
With locals' views thrown in the bin.
We need our little shops to thrive
For only then can towns survive
With something which is their's alone,
Not just another high street clone.