The e-mails addressed to Tania Luehmann say it all.

"The Country House closing is such a BIG loss for Whitehorse. I will miss you. But I wish you every happiness and success in your future adventure.”

Another wonders: "Now what will we do without your lovely store and great style and service it had. Is there any possibility someone else could continue with your tradition?”

Still another: "As I said the other day, I am feeling quite a sense of loss at the closing of The Country House; however, I do understand your need to have a change in your life and to try new things ... "

The list of e-mails go on and on, praising Luehmann for her years of business and the service her store has provided to Whitehorse residents for 25 years, wondering where they might shop now for their home decor and wishing Luehmann the best as she gets ready to close the doors.

"It's probably the hardest decision I've made in my life,” she said in an emotional interview at the Hawkins Street store this morning before it opened.

Letters informing loyal customers of the closure have quickly turned to word-of-mouth and spread through town since Luehmann decided she would close the store (likely at the end of April) about two weeks ago.

The final decision to shut it down came to Luehmann overnight, though it had been on her mind for more than a year. That time included many sleepless nights as she came to realize she wanted more balance in her life.

Luehmann's philosophy when it comes to running the business she and her parents – Betty and Ed Schiffkorn – opened in 1985 has been to put in 100 per cent. That's left little, if any, time for anything personal, she explained.

"I totally lost all balance,” she said, adding that lately she's been wanting to do things like go for an afternoon walk on a Sunday or have lunch with a friend. Those activities are just that much harder to do when you're running a business you believe in giving 100 per cent to.

It's a business Luehmann has given her all to for more than 20 years.

Luehmann was studying landscaping and horticulture at university and was home for a summer when the idea struck them to open a shop.

"Both of us had a passion for home decor,” she said, adding her heart just wasn't in her university studies.

At the time, Luehmann recalls her mother often having to go Outside to buy things for the house.

A display of photos at the store shows the first shop at 307 Wood St., an ad describing the Canadian hand-crafted and solid oak furniture among the many items available.

While her parents continued their day jobs working nights at the new store, Luehmann, then 21, worked full-time at The Country House in those early days.

It's been a job that's suited her well, especially if her childhood was any indication.

Luehmann recalled many hours as a child playing with her toy cash register, setting up old cereal boxes for her pretend "store”.

As an adult running her own business, she said she's never grown tired of finding out about different styles and trends, attending conferences on home decor and sharing that with her customers.

Many, she said, already know what they want and their style when they come into the store. Sometimes they just need some ideas, she said.

The Country House was open until 8 p.m. in its early days, but the family would often be there until midnight.

"We made all the crafts,” Luehmann remembered.

The mother-daughter duo also ran the store. Ed spent time in his workshop, where he did custom woodworking for the store, or he was helping out with deliveries when he wasn't at work.

Ed was also responsible for fixing up an old van that would become the business' second delivery vehicle after the family first made use of the pickup truck they had.

Luehmann's young age meant she drew the short straw on many deliveries and was responsible for riding in the back of the pickup, holding down the furniture to be delivered while her mom drove.

"I don't even know if it's even legal now,” she said with a laugh at one of her first duties with the family business. She also recalls wearing a big parka with a hood she could hide under so people she knew wouldn't recognize her as they drove through downtown Whitehorse on delivery.

Luehmann and her mom, who eventually joined her at the store full-time, learned very quickly about operating a business taking on every role required at the store.

"We were kind of jacks of all trades,” Luehmann said, as she remembered a "rather silly period” when they assembled and stained chairs in an effort to save five per cent on the costs.

Those first couple of years were very much a learning experience. The new business, though, would prove to be a success.

By 1990, The Country House needed a bigger home.

"We were bursting at the seams,” Luehmann said, recalling the move to Jarvis Street, where they renovated the new shop.

The renovations set the business' finances back a bit, but she said it's important for the shop to be renovated in a way that reflects its character.

After five years of renting at the Jarvis Street site, The Country House was ready to move again, and the owners no longer wanted to pay rent.

Instead, they entered into a partnership with Walter Trodden on the Hawkins Street building that currently houses The Country House.

As the store grew, so to did the number of staffers. Today, The Country House employs three full-time and two part-time workers, with Luehmann at the helm.

It was with emotion that Luehmann spoke of her staff, noting they were part of the reason her decision was so hard to make.

"It's like they're my family,” she said.

Luehmann also had to break the news to her parents – her family she had gotten started in the business with – while they were on holiday after her overnight decision.

"They were shocked,” she said, though they had known she was thinking about it for a while.

Though her employees were sad when they learned The Country House would close, they also understood where she was coming from, she said.

"It's not yourself that makes the business,” Luehmann said as she praised her five staffers and past employees for the success she's had over the years with the business.

Her staff have treated customers fairly and she believes in her 25 years there's never been a customer treated unfairly.

As she moved into talking about her customer base, tears came to Luehmann's eyes once again as they have for the past two weeks.

Outside of her staff and her parents, it was those on a list of 650 loyal customers that Luehmann told of the closure first, sending out personal letters to inform them.

"I've been very overwhelmed by customers' emotions and reactions,” she said.

The letters were sent out a week ago yesterday. Luehmann hadn't expected to hear from any until a couple of days later when the store re-opened following inventory.

As she opened her e-mail prior to the store opening again, she was overwhelmed to find so many e-mails from past customers saddened by the announcement.

"I didn't expect (that kind of) reaction from people,” she said. "It definitely hit me.”

Many have flocked to the store upon learning either through the letter or word-of-mouth of the closure, expressing sadness and at the same time as wishing Luehmann well.

Many have asked where they'll go for their "feel-good store”, she said. They talk of coming to The Country House when they're feeling down, not buying anything, just taking a look and leaving feeling a little better.

While many would love to see the store remain, Luehmann doesn't want to sell the business she has spent more than two decades building.

A business should reflect yourself and what you believe, and for Luehmann selling her business is not a road she even wants to go down.

She admits feeling somewhat selfish for closing down for personal reasons rather than the often-cited reasons for business closures due to the economy or other issues, but it also means The Country House will end its days on a positive note when business is good.

The shop is set to receive its remaining inventory orders through March and will sell them off until the wares are gone, expected around the end of April.

After that, Luehmann said, the building will be leased, though she will wait to focus on finding a tenant after The Country House has closed its doors.

She plans to "coast a bit” and has summer plans to play golf with her dad, something she's been hoping to do for a couple of years, and find out who she is beyond The Country House.

Down the road, she has thoughts of doing consulting and, after talking to her customers, maybe even hosting a couple of The Country House events through the year.

"It still is my passion,” she said, adding having a two-week sale at Christmas time, for example, would give her a chance to continue doing what she loves without the significant commitment that's involved with a full-time store.