There were no phones back in the day so it was tricky for my dad to arrive before I did. So I would twiddle my thumbs while waiting for him and watched strangers who were probably wondering what’s this primary school kid doing loitering there.
There were the occasional bullies, both kids and adults, but the shopkeeper was always there to shoo them away. I went back to the shop in 2019 and he’s still there, running the medical hall after all these years and remembered me. It’s a pity I didn’t take a photo of the place.