They are always there when disaster strikes, like when there’s no milk for your morning tea.
The people who run them, often working long hours to keep you stocked with all the daily essentials, are the unsung heroes of every community.
They are the friendly, familiar faces, always looking out for their customers, and often the most reliable source of local gossip.
This retro photo gallery, chronicling corner shops across Sheffield from the 60s to the 90s, is a tribute to those characters and the popular stores they ran.
Many of the corner shops pictured have sadly succumbed over the years to competition from supermarkets and, more recently, online shopping.
But others have stayed the distance, showing their worth more than ever during times of great adversity, like when the Covid pandemic struck.
Do these photos bring back any memories of your old local corner shop, and what’s the one shop in your community you’d be lost without?
All the photos featured are shared courtesy of Picture Sheffield.
13. Dore
The Corner Shop, at the junction of Townhead Road and High Street, Dore, in September 1983 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
14. Food Fair
Food Fair, Yorkshire Co-operative shop, at the corner of Carrfield Road and Gleadless Road, Heeley, in July 1994 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
15. Handsworth
The Spar shop at the corner of Hall Road and Finchwell Road, Handsworth, in 1991 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
16. Broad Lane
H. Deakin hardware shop, at the corner of Broad Lane and Bailey Street, Sheffield city centre, in May 1992 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield