MARION — The historic Ansel Gurney House store will close for good on Jan. 19, when owner Debbie Gunschel retires.

Built in the 1700s, the building served as a stagecoach rest stop and tavern, before it was converted to farming, lived a third life as a family home, and thn served as a store. For 43 years it weathered tough economic times and the rise of the internet. Now it closes out another chapter in its life. 

Gunschel says that the shop has changed little over the 36 years that she has been working there with her husband Jon. It has always had a room for kitchen implements and a room for soaps, and a Christmas-themed room, which has always been in the same place. But other things in the store have changed over time.

“The customers tell you what they want,” Gunschel said, noting that apparel has gained popularity over the past 20 years.

The business world has changed too. The shop used to be the only one in Marion open on Sundays, but now almost every store is — and the boom in online retail has affected it as well. Gunschel said that the rise of online shopping is a part of progress. “You need small stores, and you need something like that,” she said.

“For me to tell you it hasn’t been difficult would be lying,” she added. “But we’ve always had people who have supported us.”

Built in 1790, the house served as a tavern and a rest stop under merchant owner Ansel S. Gurney, who sold coal, hay and grain in Wareham before he turned to farming.

The Gunschel family purchased the house as a summer home in the 1930s. Gunschel’s mother-in-law started the store out of the front room of the house where she raised her family. The family has since moved out of the house, though they still live on the property.

Gunschel said that her favorite part of operating the store was building relationships with customers and staff. With a small staff, she explained, hiring the right people is critical. “It’s like family,” she said.

Over the years Gunschel has also made it something of a mission to find unique objects for the store. “I’ll miss that,” she said.

For Gunschel, the most difficult part of closing the store will be losing the daily interactions with the community.

“There’s been an outpouring of gratitude,” she said. “You hear it periodically as you’re working, and then when you say that you’re closing all the sudden there’s an outpouring.”

However, she said she is also eager to spend more time with family, namely two young grandchildren who live in Oregon, and with friends.

As for what will happen with the house, Gunschel said her plans are still up in the air. The family will still own the house and live on the property. She may rent the house to an “appropriate” business in the future, Gunschel noted. But for now, she’s looking forward to her retirement.

“I would like to know what it’s like to live here instead of work here,” she joked.