October 26, 1929. Three days before Black Tuesday.

The government report lands: chain stores just crushed $189 million in sales across 2,970 outlets.

Your corner grocer in small-town Ontario stares at the numbers. Handshakes and thin margins can’t fight corporate volume anymore.

This is the exact moment independent Main Street died and the big-box world was born.

If you’ve ever wondered why the local shops vanished from your town, click here. The lost records show you everything.