But recent decades have not been kind to many of retailing giants, and the likes of the iconic Jenners, John Menzies, C&A, Littlewoods and Woolworths have all disappeared.
Take a look through our picture gallery to see 11 Princes Street shops locals would like to see make a comeback.
5. Littlewoods
It was a sad day for Princes Street when Littlewoods closed for the last time. This sprawling store, which sold a large selection of affordable clothing, had been part of the fabric of Edinburgh city centre for generations. Photo: SUSAN BURRELL
6. RW Forsyth
Once a rival to Jenners, RW Forsyth was one of the city's most upmarket department stores and immensely popular with the public, if this Boxing Day 1980 sales queue is anything to go by. Photo: Alan Ledgerwood
7. Smalls
Central Edinburgh had no shortage of large department stores back in the day. Here is the exterior of Smalls in Princes Street, July 1977. Photo: Ian Brand
8. Burberry
High fashion retailer Burberry was always busy with shoppers in the 1990s. Photo: TSPL