Where have all the shops gone?

 Hi there

(Oops I'm having trouble with the layout.  I hate it when I get stuck somewhere on the computer and I don't know how to get out of it....)

Now, over to a quandry that is leaving me a bit miffed:  where have all my favourite shops disappeared to?  Well, no that's not quite right.  The shops are still there, but the businesses have gone.

A few weeks ago, via the radio*, a talkback host was telling how he walked through Wellington CBD, from the bottom of Lambton Quay to the end of Courtenay Place, and he counted, like, 35 shops that were empty of businesses.

And it's everywhere.  When I was in New Plymouth, Mt Maunganui, Whakatane, Levin, Queeenstown, Wanaka, Melbourne, etc, there were soooo many empty shops.

My fave cafes have gone.  My fave clothing shops have gone.  My fave butcher has gone.  Many shops that were empty have now morphed into incense/crystal selling stores, $2-type shops, or here-today-gone-tomorrow places that can be leased out quickly by shop owners.

I went to go to what I considered the best Chinese buffet in the CBD, but it shut down overnight.  Ditto the fish and chip shop that called to me everytime I walked past (I didn't often answer that call because, you know, my so-called diet, but just knowing the shop was there soothed my nerves).  

I like window-prowling shops that sell pretty clothes and I'm still searching for the perfect casual-come-visiting jacket that i can scrunch up when not in use and hide it in my bag when out hiking, but, no, so many clothing shops have closed.  Sigh, I guess I'll never find that elusive jacket.  Oh well - bright moment here - I am going to Melbourne to see "Moulin Rouge". Maybe my jacket will call to me from there?

^^^^^^

*Radio?  It's a box with dials, and music and talking comes out though a speaker on the front. Will technology wonders never cease????