The resilience of Scotland’s business community is being sorely tested.
As prices spiral and margins are squeezed, there is little cheer about.
High streets are seen as a good barometer for the wider economy and they are showing signs of significant distress, with even established names feeling the pinch.
Independents have it tougher than most.
Mhor Coffee in Perth was a dream of local businesswoman Tricia Fox.
It was a place of sanctuary for the coffee lover, with a good atmosphere and lovely staff.
But now it has gone the way of so many others.
It is easy to brush off the significance of a business failing.
But there are five fewer people employed in Perth.
There is another void in the city centre and the character that independents give to a town has been diluted again.
Tricia has suggested employers, including local authorities, should insist their staff go back into offices.
She hopes they would start to circulate more widely within the community and spend money in local shops.
But many workers remain opposed to returning to their desks.
And whether it would prove enough to save local independents from the abyss is highly debatable.
It is tough out there and solutions capable of reinvigorating high streets are hard to find.
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