Inside the shop, rows of shirts emblazoned with the name "Cornucopia" and a date range - 1987 to 2015 - had already sold out once in the past week, and were about to sell out again.
People have crowded the South Hills store in the past few weeks, scouring the shelves for the perfect gift, card, necklace, scarf or trinket from among the last of Cornucopia's stock, before the store closes today. It's open today from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The response to the store's closing, announced in May, has been overwhelming for co-owner Nancy Ward.
"People have written us letters and notes and brought us treats ... they've been really, really sweet," Ward said. "Two days in a row, several of them said the same thing - that this was their happy place. If they just wanted to clear their mind and see some interesting things, they'd come here."
Ward and her husband, Michael, have owned and operated Cornucopia, the eclectic boutique on Bridge Road, for nearly three decades. In that time, it has moved and grown, becoming a fixture in West Virginia's capital city and drawing shoppers on a nearly daily basis from other cities and states.
"It's a destination store," Nancy Ward said. "It isn't just people who live in South Hills - we get people from all over, and people travel to come here. I think there is a niche, and I think somebody could fill that."
Since its closure was announced, several people have expressed interest in the store and the building, Ward said, but many of those who wanted to continue the business as Cornucopia withdrew after seeing the amount of money and effort needed to maintain the store. Others have looked at buying the building for another purpose, and Ward said it will likely hold one, or even two, new businesses.
"The business will be gone, but we'll be selling the building, and depending on who we sell it to, there may be another store going in, or two stores - the building is such that it could be divided into two smaller spaces. It was at one time," Ward said. "Somebody may do a store; it just won't be Cornucopia.
"I would like to see it continue, and there is somebody interested who wants to open a store like this one, so we'll see. That would be great, because it will be missed."
All of the store's remaining merchandise is on the floor and marked down considerably; everything that hasn't received a final markdown price is 50 percent off.
Sarah Harless, who has worked at the store for four years, said that like so many other Charleston natives, she grew up shopping at the 28-year-old store, and will miss its presence in the community.
"To find a unique shop in Charleston that is locally owned - they're few and far between," Harless said. "They were so good to carry such a range - we have price points from $2 up, so anyone from any walk of life could come in here and find a birthday, retirement, wedding or graduation present. We got to know our customers so well."
For Harless, the shop's charm comes from the Wards' dedication to it. Nancy Ward spends countless hours selecting items for the store - she has hand-picked every greeting card, according to Harless - and the couple has often devoted seven days a week to the shop for the last 28 years.
"Some customers have our phone number, and they'll text us," she said. "You get this one-on-one customer service you just don't often see in the corporate retail world."
Longtime customer Patti Hamilton had a hard time imagining what would come after the Cornucopia, one of the oldest and most unique stores on Bridge Road, but said its presence has helped make the Bridge Road shops a destination.
"I was just telling (Ward) how much the whole area was going to miss this store," Hamilton said. "I used to live right up the road on Pine Road, and if I needed a birthday gift, a Christmas gift, and last-minute shower gift, I could walk over and get the perfect gift and get it wrapped. It's always been my favorite place for gifts - I always came here first, and I always found something. I love Nancy and Mike, and I've known them for years - our sons went to school together - and it's just going to be hard to see it go."
Reach Lydia Nuzum at lydia.nuzum@wvgazette.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @lydianuzum on Twitter.