DAPHNE — Every morning at The Brown Eyed Girl, the familiar rumble of delivery trucks still signals a new arrival of bohemian dresses and summer outfits.

But while the shelves are still being stocked with fresh inventory daily, the calendar on the wall is counting down to a quiet end for the Daphne staple.

After 21 years, owners Stephanie Daniel and Debbie Gross announced they will permanently close the boutique's doors this summer. While they don't currently have a set date for their departure, the locally loved boutique will be gone sometime in July. It is a transition that marks the end of a local retail era, leaving a void for the generations of families who saw the store as more than just a place to shop.

The shop will stay a scene of "business as usual" for now. New merchandise continues to arrive daily, guaranteeing that shoppers have one last season of trendy finds to match that "old piece in the back of their closet."

However, the clock is ticking for those holding store credit; the owners confirmed that all gift cards will be accepted only until June 30, according to a recent post on their Facebook page.

The boutique's story began far from the clothing racks. Instead, their legacy was born from the glitter and grit of the competitive dance world. Stephanie, the wife of a special operations officer and mother of two pageant queens, found herself sourcing high-quality rhinestones from vendors across the country.

The spark for a full-scale business ignited on the streets of New York City. While her oldest daughter was competing, Stephanie overheard other mothers venting about the high costs of the dance world and the fear that they could no longer afford to support their children's dreams.

Having been in that same position, Stephanie began running through the streets of the fashion capital, building a list of contacts and purchasing wholesale to cut out the middleman for other families. Over nine years, that mission to help other mothers find affordable ways to support their children evolved into the contemporary fashion boutique Daphne knows today, according to the store's website.

Owners say the goodbye is emotional, as they have spent two decades acting as "personal shoppers" for their neighbors.

"Our store has been so much more than just a business — it has been a place filled with friendships, memories, laughter, milestones and so much love from this amazing community," the owners said in a recent Facebook post.