ESTERO, Fla. — After three decades of serving as a gathering place for neighbors in Estero, the Corkscrew Country Store closed its doors permanently on Monday.
WATCH: Fox 4's Eric Lovelace introduces to neighbors who say this isn't just a store:
Located about 10 minutes east of Interstate 75 on Corkscrew Road, the store has been a community staple since 1995. Debbie Halcomb and her late husband founded the store.
"It's been my home away from home," Halcomb said.
Over the years, Halcomb became known as "mom" to regular customers who would gather on the store's porch to eat, drink and talk about life.
"They started calling me mom so I'm everybody's mom, if anybody says mom, I just say what," Halcomb said with a laugh.
Dan Schreiber has been visiting the store daily for 23 years, except Sundays when it's closed. He first came to the porch after losing his wife to pancreatic cancer and found a new family among the regulars.
"The people, Debbie that runs the place and the people that come here, it's family," Schreiber said.
Halcomb had been subletting the land to keep the store operating, but the property owner recently sold the land, forcing the closure. The news left the tight-knit community heartbroken.
"My stomach sunk, you know," Schreiber said.
Despite the emotional goodbye, Halcomb says the timing feels right for her to move on to a new chapter.
"But it's good, it's time, I'm old now, I wasn't old when I started here but I am now, so it's time for me to move on, I'm ready to move to a new chapter," Halcomb said.
As she prepares to close, Halcomb reflects on what she'll miss most.
"I'm gonna miss all these people, the locals that come and go everyday," Halcomb said.
