DON KHOURY, owner of the Wishing Well, stands behind his iconic candy counter. He plans to close the store in downtown Iron Mountain for good and retire Dec. 30 after 54 years in business. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — It will be the end of an era for multiple generations of area residents when Don Khoury locks the door to the Wishing Well for the final time.

“I’ve had 54 years in business, and it’s time,” Khoury said. “I’ve felt it in my heart.”

The Wishing Well, a fixture on the corner of Stephenson Avenue and A Street in downtown Iron Mountain, will close Dec. 30.

“In January, I’ll clean out the room and pack things away,” Khoury said.

His unique business has had many changes through the years, especially in the items he sold, but it will always be remembered for the glass jars of bulk candy, carefully scooped into paper bags, and the distinct sound of his 1910 cash register.

Khoury said he has no plans to sell the business. “I never considered that. I wouldn’t do that because I’ve seen it happen in 54 years. When someone buys a business, it’s changed after that,” he said. “Give it a year or two years, then they start changing things and it’s just not like it used to be. I’d just as soon people have the memory of my shop how it was.”

The Khoury family has a long history as business owners. “My grandfather had a store at this location. It was a different building because it was in 1900. It was a wooden building and he had a candy shop and look at me, now I’m selling candy. I only found that out about 10 years ago. I didn’t realize he was here on this property,” he said.

His father owned the Avenue Bar from the 1930s until the 1960s. His grandmother owned a clothing store called the Grey Shoppe from the 1930s until her death in 1955.

Khoury has many fond memories of the people who shopped at the store over the decades. He would wait on someone and years later that customer’s child would be at the counter. Sometimes Khoury can even remember the item the customer bought years ago.

After retirement, he plans to continue creating his unique, rustic, decorative items and return to selling them at art and craft shows. He has been making them for 45 years.

“When my wife was alive, she would take care of the shop and I would sell all my things,” he explained. He lost his wife, Sharon, in March after 53 years of marriage and said he’s still dealing with the pain of her death.

“I’ll find things to do to keep busy,” he said.

Since announcing his plans to close the store, he has seen an outpouring of support from the community.

“I extremely appreciate the patronage through the years,” he said. “I never realized the feelings, the loyalty, all the caring. They’ve been telling me how they care for my business and care for me and really appreciate my being here. And I never realized all that. I’m learning these things I never thought about.”