Students: Do You Use Independent Businesses?
 

Living in student cities, do you use the local, independent businesses that surround you?

Example: cafes, clubs, bars, hairdressers, taxi services (as opposed to Uber), speciality shops (confectionary, soap ect) - anything that is mostly unique to your university city... a few branches elsewhere still counts; so long as they are not your mass-chain organisations.

I'm really interested in gauging if independents thrive in uni towns (that are also often over-crowded with big brands); as where I am, independent businesses are the 'cool' places to go. Especially the 'unique' little stores.

Anyone?