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.
21. Burngreave
E.S. Lake's corner shop, at the junction of Fitzalan Street and Montfort Road, Burngreave, in 1965, with the spire of Andover Street Methodist Church visible in the background | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
22. Tinsley
K & C Karamdad corner shop, at the junction of Newburn Road and Bawtry Road, Tinsley, in July 1964 | Picture Sheffield/Sheffield Newspapers Ltd Photo: Picture Sheffield/Sheffield Newspapers Ltd
23. Wincobank
Corner shop at the junction of Newman Road and Prestwich Street, Wincobank, in 1967 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
24. Neepsend
Joseph Bownes corner shop, at the junction of Rutland Road and Rutland Terrace, Neepsend, in June 1965 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield