Rebecca Aronson, left, and Honor Thomas hug each other, inside of Honor D Fine Shoes & Hats on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After six years in business, Honor D Fine Shoes & Hats closed its doors on Saturday.

The boutique, located at 121 West German Street, was established in April 2019 and became a staple over the following years for those looking for high quality accessories, shoes, hats and vintage clothing.

According to owner Honor Thomas, the decision to close the boutique was made last year.

“I’m retiring! It’s a good thing,” Thomas said. “I’m at a certain age where I want to travel with my husband and not work weekends anymore. I’ve worked weekends my whole life, because I’ve been in retail since the age of 15. Even when my kids were little, I always worked weekends — that’s retail! So I want to learn what it’s like to not have to work weekends.”

Thomas, who is now 60, said she hopes to spend her retirement years traveling around the world. No travel plans are currently in the works, however, as she is planning on spending the immediate future caring for her mother.

“My mom needs me. I see her once a week and spend the night,” Thomas said. “The time will come for travel, of course!”

The popularity of her boutique has proved clear over the years, especially after it thrived, in spite of being opened right before the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“It was the biggest hurdle that we had to face,” Thomas said, noting the boutique had to close its doors for the first three months of the pandemic, before reopening under social distancing measures. “And I received no federal assistance at all to get me through — I didn’t qualify, because I was a new business, so I didn’t have a payroll.”

She said that she will remember her experience, of running her own business in Shepherdstown, fondly.

“I got to pick things that I liked and that fit my taste. It was my little creative spot that I enjoyed coming to every day!” Thomas said. “Everything I had around me — my needlework and my crafts and my pink walls and my hot tea and cookies — made it such a joy to come to every day!”

A stream of faithful customers stopped by to wish the boutique farewell on its final day.

Thomas shared refreshments with them, including wine, sparkling tea, chocolates and a dessert tray. She went a step further to make the day special for them, by hosting a one-day hat show with one of her local suppliers, SJB Millinery.

Almost all of the boutique’s merchandise had been sold in the days leading up to Saturday, outside of a few pieces of vintage jewelry, leaving plenty of room for the hat show to take place.

Longtime customer Rebecca Aronson found one final treasure at the boutique on Saturday — a handmade brown beret.

“I love Honor’s shop! I’ve been a customer for years and have been friends with Honor for even longer,” Aronson said. “It’s been such a wonderful shop to have here. Honor would carry a lot of things that you couldn’t find anywhere else.”

Another faithful customer, Shepherdstown resident Darlene Truman, said she was sorry to see the boutique close.

“I’m going to miss Honor’s business,” Truman said. “It had such a wide range of clothes and I loved the hats!”

Although Honor D Fine Shoes & Hats is now closed, Thomas said she will occasionally hold a pop-up shop in the area, featuring SJB Millinery and her own decoupage and baby hats.

The first pop-up shop will be held in Evolve before Easter.