Patrons said goodbye to an old friend recently as they celebrated what HearthFire Books & Treats meant to them over the last 13 years.

The store in the Bergen Village Shopping Center closed Dec. 31, and patrons said it was more than a place to get books and frozen yogurt. It was a gathering place, a community space and an asset to Evergreen. All because of owner Kappy Kling.

“We’re feeling sadness and deep gratitude,” Connie Ning, a frequent visitor to HearthFire, said at an event to celebrate the store and Kling. “What a community center this has been for all of us. For me, when I heard (the store was closing), it was like a stab to the heart. Kappy is so wonderful and welcoming.”

Speakers told about Kling’s willingness to go the extra mile for customers, always with a friendly smile and a willingness to help. They said she always advocated for local authors, spotlighting their work for the community.

Kling was involved in the Mountain Area Literary Festival, hosted book clubs and authors in her store, plus was a meet-up spot for young people and families to get frozen yogurt.

HearthFire received Evergreen Rotary’s Ethics in Business Award in 2021.

“I marvel at the way you handle this business,” employee Kathryn Althage said. “You could offer a master’s class on how to run a successful business.”

Kling bought the store, formerly called Lovin Books and Music, as her daughter, Katie, was starting kindergarten. Now Katie is graduating from high school, so Kling said it was time to move on.

“My journey is taking me to something different,” she told more than 80 people who packed in the store on Dec. 17.

“I have loved almost every minute of my time in the bookstore,” she added, smiling. “I feel good about where the rest of the store is going.”

Kling has sold HearthFire to the Jiron-Baker family, who is moving it into one of the adobe buildings on Evergreen Parkway. The new HearthFire Books should be open by mid-January.