Choosing your neighbours

Some people say that life is a series of choices. Every day is a marathon of choices: we choose what to wear, where to go, what to say, what to do. That's an interesting - although not incorrect - view on life. Yes, we make myriads of choices but can we choose everything? Certainly, there are some things that we cannot choose.

We cannot choose our parents, for example. But what about our neighbours?

To continue the story on luxury shops in Vilnius, I'd like to show you two outlets that rub shoulders - or rather shop windows - in the very heart of the Old Town. I don't need to introduce the label on the left (see the picture below). The one on the right is a grocery store of a Lithuanian retail chain. It runs supermarkets and no luxury shops.

My question is does the luxury shop (and its posh customers!) feel comfortable about such neighbourhood? And can it - or did it have a choice to - do something about it? I believe it can and it did. But let me know your opinion.

Vilnius, April 2007. Photo by Gediminas Zilinskas