LIKE hangovers and the sort of fleeting romances forged on dance floors, bars and nightclubs come and go.
So perhaps there should not be too much alarm that so many "To Let" signs have appeared above vacant units on Broad Street, long regarded as Birmingham's premier bright lights zone.
Broad Street manager Mike Olley is right to point out that schemes are in the pipeline to reinvigorate the area – not least the exciting £500 million Arena Central development.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the number of empty bars, clubs and restaurants threaten to tarnish the image of the Golden Mile, presenting a poor impression to visitors who traipse or drive along the street.
We must hope that its present trouble is simply a blip and that imaginative entrepreneurs – helped by landlords charging lower rents and the authorities continuing to keep a check on bad behaviour – will set up vibrant new venues to breath new life into Broad Street.
Its trendy bars, thumping music and sometimes unruly revellers might not be everyone's cup of tea, but Brum would be a poorer place without it.