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.
These are some incredible historic pictures, so have a look and see if you recognise any familiar sights or faces...
Still fancy a bit more old school reminiscing? Be sure not to miss some of our other most popular recent retro picture collections...
I'd get a bag of hot potatoes every time... 35 retro pics of Preston’s historic Flag Market over the decades
1. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
Carol singers braved the wintery weather to mark the beginning of Christmas festivities in a Lancashire village. Residents of Lostock Hall, near Preston, gathered in the shopping precinct for a carol service hosted by the village's four churches. Guests included the Mayor and Mayoress of South Ribble, Coun and Mrs George and Dorothy Woods, and music was provided by members of the Lostock Hall Memorial Band Photo: RETRO
2. 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Preston Shops
Sam Alladyce at Ladbrokes Betting Shop in Preston, August 1988 Photo: RETRO
3. 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
4. 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