Miltons Gear was opened by Milton Elliott in 1974 and it has been locally owned ever since.

Current owner Wayne Inglis said the store had played a role in many a memorable occasion over its 45 years, with some Wagga residents who first suited up at the store for their high school formals returning years later for their wedding.

The coronavirus outbreak could not have come at a worse time for the business and Mr Inglis, who has been battling health issues which have made it difficult to work since August last year.

Faced with another three months before he could work as social distancing saw sales dry up, Mr Inglis said it was "near impossible" to keep the business going.

"The sales have just gone downhill and March, April and May are our busiest times of the year," he said.

"We've got weddings, we've got the races which no one will be going to, so our three biggest months of the whole year have just turned to mud."

He said Mr and Mrs Elliott, who still own the current building, had been "really supportive" with efforts to try and support the business through the crisis, but ultimately he had to make the decision to close.

"With the coronavirus and me being off work, small business is hard as it is," he said.

"I'd just like to thank the loyal customers that have supported Miltons Gear over the 45 year period that we've been open and all the loyal, fantastic staff that I've had over the years as well."

Mr Inglis said the community response since announcing the closure earlier this week had been strong, with customers reminiscing about the events they had purchased an outfit at the store for.

He said while trade before the announcement had been "miserable," staff working at the store had seen many more customers in the past few days as Wagga locals take their final opportunity to visit.

The store will officially close its doors on June 20.

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