"USE them or lose them" is the heartfelt plea of an ex-shopkeeper who fears that if residents continue to go elsewhere to shop, some Alton retailers will go out of business.
The former trader's concern is for those businesses which, he says, are facing bankruptcy due to lack of customer support. But, while endorsing the "support local shopkeepers", message, local chamber of commerce chairman David Gay warns traders they must move with the times.
A full version of this story can be found in the Alton Herald of February 4, 2000.