I can’t remember the last time I walked around the city centre. There’s not much need for it just now, given we can hardly pop into Goodfellows for a bridie or Zara for a mooch.
In fact, you can’t pop into Zara ever again, unless the clothes shop magically re-opens its doors in Dundee.
And that’s what struck me when I popped into the centre to go to the bank. I’m all for being positive about our amazing city, but what was our hub is now a sorry sight.
In the Murraygate alone, you can stand in one spot to see what is no longer there – no Zara, no Monsoon, no Accessorize, no Disney – and goodness only knows how many cafes and other shops won’t open again even when they are allowed.
Of course, it’s not just Dundee. High streets were struggling before lockdown –now they’re on their knees.
But we have to remain hopeful.
There will always be a place for cafes while we can’t have a coffee delivered on Amazon (though I wouldn’t bet against them making that happen).
We still need salons (boy do I need a hairdresser) as well as beauty treatments and nail bars – and Metro-style, smaller supermarkets.
And most of all, we need to talk to people when this is all over – to reestablish the simple art of communicating.
I, for one, champion our city centres and the high street. We’ve got to.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.