Let’s head back to early last century to meet one of the proprietors of Delta’s early general stores.
Born in 1865, Walter John Lanning emigrated from England to Victoria in 1894.
He married Gertrude Millicent Weare and they moved to Ladner in 1898.
Known as "Jack" Lanning, he worked in Thomas McNeely's general store in Ladner.
In 1907, he was part of the new firm Lanning, Fawcett & Wilson Ltd. that took over and operated the store under the new company name on Chisholm Street.
Lanning, who had six children, died in 1913, but Gertrude continued as a partner for the store, also known as The Big Store.
In 1945, the firm was sold to Mc & Mc, which operated a business there until 1960.
The original building still stands in Ladner Village today and is considered one of Delta’s most important heritage structures.
