Heaven Scent Bakery, located off of Bryan Road in O’Fallon, Mo., will be closing its doors after 27 years of service.

Established in 1995, Heaven Scent has become quite well-known by residents of the St. Louis Metropolitan area. This is mainly thanks to the wide variety of dessert items it offers, including pastries, custom cakes, donuts, cookies, wedding products, and more.

According to Heaven Scent’s website, the shop has been featured in national trade magazines and voted in the top three bakeries in St. Charles County for 20 years running by the St. Charles Journal, among many other accolades.

The bake shop officially announced on Sept. 4 that it would be permanently ceasing operations at the end of September via a post on its Facebook page. Heaven Scent cited its lack of employees as well as the increasing cost to make its products as reasons for its closure.

“We ask that you have patience and show kindness to our staff,” read the regretful message. “Some products are or will be discontinued as the month goes on. We have very limited staff and they’re already working hard to get products out and provide service.”

The post ended with the company expressing its appreciation and adoration for the “many amazing years and your continued support.”

Since this statement was made, a plethora of customers have flocked to the shop in order to buy their confectionaries before the inevitable shutdown. However, this rush of business is expected to even further limit the restricted amount of stock and add more strain to already busy staff members. The bakery mentioned that they will be regularly posting updates about their circumstances on Facebook. The majority of these have been notifications on the status of their item quantity.

Many past patrons reacted to the declaration — which has gained more than 1,000 comments and 2,500 shares — with words of sorrow and gratitude. They also shared recollections of their favorite memories associated with Heaven Scent.

One commenter responded, “Heaven Scent, this is so sad! You will be greatly missed by the community, thank you for everything!”

“We are so sorry to hear this,” said another follower. “We have made it a monthly tradition for so long to get donuts from you as a treat for our family. … You have been a staple in the community and should be proud!”

Former employee Angela Block worked at Heaven Scent Bakery for seven non-consecutive years, starting when the store moved near Bryan Road in 2007. She was assigned various tasks during her time there, such as making chocolate covered strawberries, taking cake orders, and working at the front of the shop.

“Heaven Scent Bakery is definitely a staple in O’Fallon,” Block stated. “Everybody loves it. The customers would come in and they would wait no matter how long. We catered to everybody’s needs; anything they asked for, we tried to do.”

She added, “I think what I loved most was working on weekend days when the line would be out the door and the drive-thru would be wrapped around the building because it was such a beautiful energy, people were happy and excited.”

Unless otherwise mentioned on their social media, Heaven Scent Bakery will maintain normal business hours (4 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the lobby, 24 hours in the drive-thru) until its final day of commerce.