The canny shopper's favourite

While other boutiques competed to stock edgy and pricey labels, Sam Thomas stuck to ranges that were relatively affordable and appealed to all age groups.

It was one of the few places you could visit where you'd find fashion staples - the perfect cardigan, scarf, or pair of black winter boots, for example. That's why it will be missed by canny shoppers.

This is the age when, food-wise, there's been a trend for supporting smaller producers and shunning supermarkets. So it seems a shame that we've chosen the likes of Next, Topshop and House of Fraser, in nearby Princes Street, over this fashion boutique. Sam Thomas has consistently provided a considered range of European labels - which were never too fashion-forward and always wearable - such as Avoca and Joules.

It's also a bit of a blow to an area that has been marketed as The West End Village, which mainly encompasses William Street and Stafford Street, to lose one of its most established independent boutiques. Sam Thomas was the least niche of all the other shops in this area, and always seemed to draw shoppers from nearby.