And such has been the case ever since the first shopping centres sprung onto the scene in the ‘70s, so here we take a look at a few of our best retro pictures of shops and shopping centres in Preston from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
Still looking for more retro content? Check out these other recent nostalgic pieces...
23 retro pictures of Leyland town centre in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s as Bodycare & Lidl close local stores
1. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
Sam Alladyce at Ladbrokes Betting Shop in Preston, August 1988 Photo: RETRO
2. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
Lynda Greene won a beauty contest at her first attempt... but she plans to quit while she is ahead. Lynda, 17, beat 20 girls from local stores in the contest for the title Miss USDAW, organised by the Preston-based area of the shop workers' union. Lynda, from Blackpool, works in the personnel department of Lewis's in the resort Photo: RETRO
3. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
It's "Post" Party Time at Ivan Baldwin's newsagents shop in Meadow Street, Preston. Children visiting the shop have tried to guess the number of sweets in a jar and taken part in the ever popular Mark the Ball contest. Helping out here are Irene Holdon from the "Post" newspaper sales department, and area sales supervisor Kay Tomlinson Photo: RETRO
4. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
These Preston shoppers could not believe their eyes when a skip full of old stock was dumped outside of the Occasions store in Fishergate. The haul included note books, Christmas cards and old pens. They were thrown out the day after the shop closed. Photo: RETRO