Risky Business?

We are lucky enough to have a corner store (which by definition is near where you live) and even though it isn't a supermarket, it has bread and milk and other bits and pieces. And we don't have just one. There are 3 in a couple of km radius. This seems to be a bit of an over-representation, especially since it seems that the trend is for corner stores to disappear - the victims of supermarket chain expansion. If you have a corner store in your area, how long has it been there? Is it a family business? If you were starting a business today, would it be a corner store?