Shoppers in State College searching for gifts and accessories for their homes will soon have one less store to choose from.

Beppa's, located across from Old Main at 130 E. College Ave., will be closing its doors for good on Dec. 31. A going-out-of-business sale began yesterday.

Beppa's owner Joy Rodgers-Mernin stood behind the counter as she watched customers browse through the stores selection of scented candles, throw pillows and intricate Christmas ornaments.

"This was a good time," Rodgers-Mernin said about her experience running the store.

Rodgers-Mernin and her husband founded Beppa's in 1996, when they felt State College needed a home accessories and gifts store. The reason the store is closing has nothing to do with a lack of business. "The store does fine," Rodgers-Mernin said.

Instead, it is due to a lack of time.

"It's just because of too much work with the other businesses," she said.

Rodgers-Mernin also owns The Nittany Quill, a custom calligraphy store on Fraser Street in State College and Dairyland at Home, a craft store in Reedsville, Pa.

"It was a decision about where we were going," she said. "Something had to give."

Until the store closes after Christmas, Beppa's is running several additional promotions.

These include weekly prizes for customers, refreshments on Saturdays and everything in the store discounted at least 10 percent.

Although many of the items in the store are purchased from craft fairs, some of the items are of Rodgers-Mernin's own making.

She created many of the pieces of painted furniture, decorative boarders and pieces of calligraphy on display.

Some Penn State students who frequent Beppa's are sad to see the store close.

"It's easy to stop here on the way to class," Amy Di Elsi (junior-political science and journalism) said.

"Every time my mom comes to visit we come here."

Now that everything in Beppa's is on sale, she plans on coming back with her mother and making the big purchases they had put off before.

For other students, yesterday was the first time they had walked inside the store.

Nick Ritchie (junior-secondary education) went through the door into Beppa's after seeing the signs in the window.

"It's just (because) I saw the sale," Ritchie said.

After browsing through the store, Ritchie purchased a decorative candle set for his apartment.

He was disappointed to hear the store was closing.

"It's hard to find stuff like this around here (that is) made this well," he said looking at the decorative boxes on display.

"It's all old and handcrafted."