The Corner Shops of Ballarat: A History and Directory, produced by the Ballarat Branch of the National Trust.

The Corner Shops of Ballarat: A History and Directory, produced by the Ballarat Branch of the National Trust. Paperback book published by National Trust Ballarat Branch 2009, 86 pages with black and white photographs.

Whatever happened to the corner shop? This is something that I have often pondered upon over the years, usually as I buy some milk or a drink (...or something) at a petrol station. It's not that the corner shop has disappeared completely, there are a few that I know of that seem to be barely hanging on with dusty half empty shelves and out of date produce, sadly waiting for a 7eleven staffed by underpaid Indian students to open up within a few hundred metres. I guess that's progress. I fondly remember overfilled family run businesses where they knew your name and where you knew their names. Where the sound of a television and loud children in the other room along with the smell of recently prepared food, was not uncommon. 

The “Corner Shops of Ballarat” is basically a guide to the buildings of Ballarat that were once corner shops. Not all corner shops are on corners and most of the Ballarat corner shops now appear to be residences. I am intrigued by the idea of this book in that i'm really not that sure how large a market there is for a book such as this. Somehow I can't imagine international tourists travelling around Ballarat looking for all the spots where corner shops once were. Maybe I'm wrong.