The first wet snow of the season was falling Monday morning in Jackson as Betty Sabo drove slowly into the parking lot at Baldinger's Market with tears in her eyes. She had worked at the landmark candy and specialty foods emporium for more than 50 years, and now the building was being torn down.

"After all those years, it's hard. It's so sad to see the store gone, but it is a joy to see the new one going to open up."

Preparations are under way for a new Baldinger's Market to open Monday a couple of miles north in Zelienople.

But that wasn't enough to salve the emotions Mrs. Sabo barely kept in check as she sat in her car watching a large backhoe methodically demolish the old Baldinger's.

"I put it in God's hands, and I asked him to get me through the whole thing, which he will," she said.

And she's hopeful for the future of the new store that was designed to be a close replica of the old Baldinger's that had stood along Route 19 since 1933. Customers already have been stopping by the new store at 519 Perry Way -- right next to the Exxon station -- trying to get a sneak peek.

"Once we get it all finished, they are going to care as much about that one as they did about this one," she said over the sound of the heavy equipment.

Mrs. Sabo wasn't alone at the demolition site. Other workers, friends and loyal customers came by to watch as the historic store was leveled.

Jackie Intihar's kids are grown and out of the house. They live less than two miles away and visit often. She came to take a final photo of a store that has been so important to her family.

"This has been a special place for us. My kids have so many memories. This was their favorite stop."

Standing in the cold with the backhoe tearing up the walls, she reminisced about the old hand-crank cash register, the ladies counting candy one piece at a time, the old wood floors, crazy hats, limburger cheese and the other fascinating foods Baldinger's sold. But it's also the little things about that old building she will miss.

"Just the sound of the screen door squeaking and slamming shut," she said. "We've had a lot of good memories here."

Mrs. Intihar views the late Mrs. Baldinger as an innovator, stocking chocolate-covered grasshoppers and ants, ostrich eggs and the wide variety of international foods. "She was ahead of her time. Look at what she did historically with this place; she tried to bring food from all nations into one building. If you go down to the Strip District, that's what you find."

And there's another special connection for the family. Fifteen years ago, her daughter Alyson, then a first-grader, completed an art assignment answering the question "What would you do if you could fly?" The drawing she did shows the little girl flying over the store with the caption, "If I could fly, I want to own Baldinger's."

Mrs. Intihar loved the work and asked her daughter to create a copy, which they took to Baldinger's. Mrs. Sabo loved it, too, and it's been hanging in the store ever since.

The family visited the store when they heard Baldinger's might close, and Mrs. Sabo asked them to frame the picture so it could be hung in the new store. The picture had faded from years of exposure, but the Intihars found the original that had been squirreled away with their daughter's school memorabilia. Its colors are still vibrant, and that's the picture that will be framed and presented to Baldinger's to be hung in the new store.

For years, Alyson has returned home with friends, always taking them to Baldinger's to point out her childhood artwork -- a tradition that can continue with the new store.

Last year, Mrs. Sabo thought Baldinger's was going out of business for good. The land had been sold and was going to be developed. Then local businessman Pat Boylan came to the store and asked if he bought the business, would she stay on and run it? It didn't take long for the 80-year-old manager to say yes, and plans were made to renovate the 519 Perry Way location into a new Baldinger's.

"We're taking as much as we can to give it the old Baldinger look," Mr. Boylan said. "The outside looks exactly the same."

They've moved most everything from the old store, including the old cash register, a Baldinger's trademark. About the only things that didn't make the move were the coolers, which were too big to fit through the doors and were starting to deteriorate.

"Thank God for Pat Boylan," Mrs. Sabo said. "He saved the store, saved the name and saved our jobs."

It has taken longer than expected to get everything in place, but Mr. Boylan is pleased that Baldinger's will be back in business on Monday. "I've had so many thank you's -- people just saying so many nice things about it. [The store] goes back a long way. To keep it in the community means a lot to me. I'm sure that it means a lot to everybody."

As the old store was coming down, volunteers and workers were preparing for the grand opening of the new store. Mrs. Sabo was supervising every detail, down to how the little ceramic horses are placed in an old glass case.

Friends and relatives stopped by frequently, giving updates about the demolition of the old store. The stress level seemed to go up each time a report came in. At one point, Mrs. Sabo's sister, Thelma LeFebvre, started to cry.

"It's just different," she said as she wiped away the tears. "The change is good, but it's a sad feeling to see that building go."

She had worked at the old store for 23 years and she, too, had stood in the snow to see the building leveled. She was compelled to be there to get a final glimpse of a place she worked and visited as a child.

"One last time, just one last time," she said quietly.

Although the grand opening is Monday, Mrs. Sabo is planning a second grand opening party on Dec. 13 when she believes every detail in the store will be perfect.

She said it was bittersweet watching that old store being torn down, but she is excited to be starting fresh.

"The [new] building takes a lot of the tears away," she said. "It's going to be beautiful. It's so nice, it's so pretty, so clean. I can't wait to get to that first customer."