The store’s owners, Doug Boak and Tracey Bentley, say they can no longer compete in the market and are being squeezed out by the online sector and big chains.

They fear for the future of other small and medium-sized independent businesses like theirs, with the online retail sphere continuing to grow unabated.

“The face of retail is changing dramatically, and quickly now,” Mr Boak said.

“You’ve only got to see in country streets now, they’re either empty shops or they’re not filled with retailers, they’re filled with services – once upon a time you’d never see them in the main street.”

Five years ago, The Warehouse had three stores, located in Mildura, Dubbo and Wagga, employing 45 staff.

But now in its final days, only the Wagga store remains and it now only employs three people.

The Mildura store closed around Easter last year, with the Dubbo store following it just after Christmas.

Mr Boak and Mrs Bentley said the Wagga store would likely close its doors for the final time in mid-April.

Mrs Bentley said the pressures applied on smaller retailers by the bigger chains – which she labelled as a “cartel” – were becoming too great to deal with.

Her business can’t afford to be constantly discounting stock like the bigger chains seem to do week after week, Mrs Bentley said.

“Consumers now have become accustomed to shopping on sale only and they won’t pay full price anymore,” she said.

“You can’t fight that with multinational retailers – they manufacture it, they import it and they retail it so they have 400 per cent margin on their stock.”

When they close The Warehouse in April, Mr Boak and Mrs Bentley will miss the people they’ve met in their three decades of operating the business – from customers to the range of staff employed over the years.

“You see them now with their own families and they come in and start talking to you,” Mr Boak said of the shop’s former employees.

While the shop is closing, the pair will continue to operate the cafe located next door.