Lynn Noble clutched at a tissue Friday, wiping tears from behind her glasses as she stood one last time behind the counter of the La Jolla shop she has owned for more than a decade. “Today, the artists are coming in for their work,” said Noble, owner of La Jolla FiberArts. Noble described the store as a wearable art gallery. She displayed and sold myriad art, from jewelry to silk scarves. When Noble opened more than 11 years earlier, she said La Jolla FiberArts’ concept caught on with the public. “We grew and had a loyal following,” Noble said. Noble pointed to art around the store. “There’s art still up there,” she said. Noble walked to the front of the store, looking into a case containing wearable art by Christie Dunning. Noble said Dunning was the first artist she displayed, and her pieces are now the last sitting inside her windows. La Jolla FiberArts remained closed to the public Friday, Dec. 19. Though Noble waded through remnants of her “store closing sale,” from the previous three days, she said she wanted to focus on her artists, pointing to a table that held refreshments. “I’ve been making jewelry for 28 years,” artist Mershid Arjmand said. “And I loved working with Lynn — she is the nicest person.” Arjmand showcased her jewelry at La Jolla FiberArts but she collected pieces that didn’t sell during the store’s three-day sale. Arjmand said she plans to sell her designs online with Noble, when FiberArts opens virtually in 2009. “We were full of wonderful things. We had over 60 artists in here. In the front, we would show an artist just like a regular gallery for about six weeks,” Noble said. “We’d send out a postcard, announcing it.” Fiber artists walked into the store at 7644 Girard Ave. to gather their merchandise, drink some coffee, eat a snack and reminisce with Noble, who said the recession has hit the art world hard. “Any art gallery is feeling what we are feeling right now,” Noble said. La Jolla FiberArts felt the economic downturn more than one year, she said. “When the government announced we were in a recession, we had already felt it,” Noble said. “Sales were down by half last Christmas. It would have been hard to maintain the integrity for both the artists and for us.” So Noble said she decided to “close her doors gracefully.” La Jolla FiberArts closed its brick and mortar edifice but will move to the Internet in February of the new year, Noble said. The Web site, still under construction at www.fiberartsgallery.com, will host a warm and friendly presence, she said. Although much of Noble’s gallery’s appeal resulted from the customers’ ability to touch different textures, she said good photography can bring out the qualities of a piece. Many of the artists plan to follow Noble to the virtual store, she said. “I’m on an emotional roller coaster,” Noble said. “But it’s better to go out on a happy note.” For more information about La Jolla FiberArts, visit www.lajollafiberarts.com. Although the site is under construction, inquiries can be made to [email protected].