STUART Pearson would have spoken for a number of residents when he expressed concern, at last week's council meeting, about the number of empty shops in the Bathurst CBD.
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Mr Pearson, a former strategist and adviser (and a current columnist with the Western Advocate, writing about the future of this city from the perspective of a recent arrival), said the untenanted buildings were not a good look.
And he's right, of course.
But the question is what to do about it.
There is no doubt that the drought has sucked a lot of money out of regional economies, and coming state and federal elections would be making consumers and investors cautious, but it should also be remembered that Bathurst is one of the fastest growing regional centres in NSW.
A quick drive around the land releases in Eglinton and Kelso is all that is needed to remind locals of how many new people are pouring into this city - and, presumably, bringing their spending with them.
If Bathurst's CBD is struggling, despite hundreds of potential new customers being added to the city's population each year, then how must other, less robust centres be faring?
Part of the problem, of course, is the shift from bricks and mortar retailing to internet retailing - a shift illustrated by Bobbies Clothing owner Melissa Gregory's recent decision to close her local store after 25 years (though the Orange store will remain open).
“We need to be where our market is and in this day and age, that market is online,” she told the Advocate.
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It was a sobering reminder of the seismic shift in Australian shopping as the online world gives consumers access to a greater range of goods - and a more flexible way to buy them - than ever before.
Mr Pearson says a long-term plan is needed to bring people into the Bathurst CBD and ensure the vibrancy of the city's centre.
But while we look to council to come up with any such plan, we should remember the power that each of us possesses.
If we want a healthy CBD, we have to use it. If we don't want more empty shops, we have to use the ones that are already there. If we're worried about the money that goes out of town, we have to resolve to keep our own money in town.
We've each got a part to play in this one. A sluggish heart at the centre of the city will eventually affect us all.
