Dark dusty windows are scattered throughout the bright shop fronts lining both Hastings' and Napier's central business district.
The only splice of colour in these windows are the real estate signs trying to attract new buyers or lessees.
There is nothing new about empty shops littering regional centres, however, there
are more vacant buildings in Hastings than there have been in the past 15 years.
To make matters worse, the company behind a recent survey expects further store closures and relocations to happen in the coming year.
It's sad to see sites that were once full of life now vacant. High profile sites that once housed Postie Plus, Pagani and Whitcoulls have been empty for more than a year.
