WINCHESTER — Gaze up at the historic mansion on the corner of Braddock and Piccadilly streets and you’ll immediately be drawn into whatever season it is with the vibrant exterior décor that welcomes Kimberly’s customers each season. A massive arch of seasonal silk flowers and decorations welcomes guests.

If you look next door at Kimberly’s Market, you might see customers relaxing and enjoying homemade ice cream on the spacious front porch.

Kimberly’s, which was established in 1989 in three rooms on the first floor of the antebellum mansion that once served as Union Gen. Philip Sheridan’s headquarters during the Civil War, has not only grown step-by-step over the years to occupy both floors and the basement of that building, it has become a destination shopping experience.

While shoppers have been able to find bath and body products, specialty food and wine, home décor, linens, clothing for men, women and children, everything you need to entertain guests, gifts for special occasions and more, Kimberly’s is anything but a typical gift shop. And, with a recent restructuring, it just got a little bit more unique (and delicious).

“It’s the same game,” owner Kimberly Sowers says. “The players have moved around on the field. We’ve given the gourmet part its own place. Its footprint has grown at The Market. We have our custom engraving over there. The cheeseboards are very popular. And we’ve expanded our cheese shop. You’ll find over 200 labels of wines from around the world. We have a nice Virginia wine section. And you can sit and enjoy homemade ice cream. We really wanted to do the ice cream.”

With a habit of responding to customer input, Kimberly’s occupies two buildings, the historic house and the adjacent 1930s, two-story brick house. Boasting 15,000 square feet of floor space, Kimberly’s covers a large part of one of the city’s busiest corners. There’s plenty of free parking between the two buildings for shoppers’ convenience.

Kimberly’s used the recent reorganization to move all of the women’s and children’s apparel into the main building. You’ll find a sizeable selection of quality clothing, shoes and accessories in the women’s collection. You can browse items from well-known designers like Lilly Pulitzer, Frye, 360 Cashmere, Spanx, Gentle Souls by Kenneth Cole, Mud Pie and more.

Men’s clothing, shoes, accessories and a men’s club vibe can be found in mcKee’s in the mansion’s basement. McKee’s has its own entrance located on the Piccadilly Street side. The men’s shop features brands like Southern Tide, Kuhl, Johnston & Murphy, Berle, Saxx, Crittenden and Mathers and Branson. You’ll also find custom shirts by Stantt.

The kids area, located inside the main building, features everything from baptismal gowns and jammies for the tiniest to dresses and comfy clothes geared to those around 6 years old. You’ll find Lilly Pulitzer, Mud Pie, Mud Puppy, Sarah Louise, Baby Stella and other brands.

Attire is just the tip of the ice berg. “We’re really an unusual entity for retail. You just don’t get stores that carry the breadth of what we carry. And we respond to the community. We had a couple of nice jewelry stores closing in town recently. So, we plan on expanding our jewelry section,” Sowers says.

She emphasizes Kimberly’s ability to cater to customers. “We have a gift registry. We carry china, linens, house wares and do custom engraving. But, we can also put together gift baskets for people’s special occasions or for business appreciation gifts. We go all over the store to gather items — décor, glassware, linens, gourmet foot, candles-it’s all here,” Sowers explains.

How does Kimberly’s manage to do it all? It’s a business built on understanding that “humans are inherently social beings and want an experience,” Sowers says. “We try to make it this wonderful, traditional experience that keeps people coming back.”

It’s not just generations of customers who frequent Kimberly’s. Sowers’ family is an integral part of the store’s expansion. You’ll find Haley Bennett, one of Sowers’ five children, keeping The Market humming along.

The ice cream is made by Berry Morefield, Sowers’ husband. Morefield has been making ice cream since he was a little boy growing up in the Shenandoah Valley. His Grape Nut ice cream has been a favorite at fundraisers for the Shenandoah County Fire Department for years.

The ice cream counter at The Market at Kimberly’s features 13 different flavors at any given time. There’s something for every palette — fruity flavors like lemon, banana, mango, cherry Garcia and raspberry white chocolate to nutty favorites like pistachio. There are popular standards like chocolate, vanilla and mint chocolate chip. And there are fresh takes on classics, like coffee and cookies, salted caramel and velvet crunch. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the yummyness, they offer free samples to help you find your favorite.

True to form, Kimberly’s will use its ice cream to build community. “We’ll pick a charity to pair with an ice cream flavor every month. A portion of proceeds from that flavor will go to the charity,” Sowers says.

The store also plans to have a special event on the first Sunday of each month to highlight the ice cream, wine and other fun stuff. And, if you really get hooked on Morefield’s dessert, you’ll soon have a chance to join The Market at Kimberly’s ice cream club.

Kimberly’s is located at 135 N. Braddock St. right across from the Handley Library in Old Town Winchester. Look for the iconic red apple. For more information, call 800-967-8676 or 540-662-2195 or email shopkimberlys@gmail.com.