WHEELING — Chris Miller Furniture in downtown Wheeling is closing its doors, and its building is for sale.

Owner Judy Miller informed her employees Tuesday of her intentions to retire, and signs noting the closure went up Wednesday. The store has 10 full-time, and four part-time employees.

Miller and her late husband Chris Miller first opened Chris Miller Furniture in 1979. They later bought and moved into the former J.C. Penney building at 1122 Market St. in 1988.

Chris Miller passed away in 2011, and Miller and son Christian have since continued operations.

But Miller said after 40 years in business, she felt it was time to move on to other things.

“As I approach my 75th year, I find myself looking eagerly ahead to the next chapter of my life,” she said. “It is with great excitement, and of course a little sadness, that I announce the closing of Chris Miller Furniture. Spending quality time with my family is a high priority, as well as taking time for the community projects I hold dear.

“My future will be a time of reflection and relaxation, as well devoting time and attention to our community,” she said.

She thanked the people of the Ohio Valley and her employees for supporting her throughout the years.

“What Chris and I built over the years served us well, but it is the friendships and the 40 years of memories that I will cherish forever,” she said.

The furniture store was closed to the public Wednesday as employees began the process of marking down inventory for liquidation.

Constructed in the early 1920s, the five-story building consists of 32,000 square feet. It was originally the location of McFadden Dry Goods Store before becoming J.C. Penney and later Chris Miller Furniture, according to Miller.

The building is being listed for sale with Paull and Associates at $699,900.

Gil White, a Realtor with Paull and Associates real estate, described the structure as “an historic landmark everyone associates with Wheeling.”

It has two functioning elevators and a mezzanine, and has been well-maintained over the years, according to White.