Sunday was the final day for Florence’s Donut Shoppe, and the line for the drive-thru began forming around 1 a.m.

After 42 years, the popular bakery on Florence Boulevard closed. The line was so long, in fact, that the business began serving 30 minutes early, at 4:30 a.m.

“Thanks again for the memories,” the store posted on Facebook.

“We love you all and have appreciated the overwhelming support you’ve shown. We are just sorry so many of you had to leave empty-handed. We would never want to disappoint anyone. But supplies only last so far before they’re gone … and today was that day. The last day. But we hope we’ll live forever in your hearts – as you will in ours.”

Donut Shoppe made AL.com’s list of Alabama’s best doughnuts earlier this year.

The store closed following the death of long-time owner, David Wallace, last month. Once customers heard, the store consistently sold out of each day’s batch of doughnuts last week as the final day neared.

Theresa Knight told WAFF that her brother “worked so hard in sickness and worrying about himself, but he always worried about the customers more than himself.”

“He would be in a lot of pain but he would come up here to make sure the donuts were being properly made, and everybody was doing their jobs and just making a good product,” she said.