The parking lot of Paulino Gardens — the popular retail gardening store and nursery that has operated in Denver for nearly 60 years — was packed Tuesday morning, with cars circling, searching for spots.

Maybe it was because the high temperature was expected to crack 80 degrees Tuesday and gardeners felt the season’s snow was behind them. Or maybe it was due to word getting out that the garden center will open its doors for the last time on July 31.

In response to comments on its Facebook page, Paulino Gardens, 6300 N. Broadway, recently revealed plans to close. At the store on Tuesday, Liz Paulino confirmed the planned closure, but declined to discuss the matter. She said right now is “the busy season” for the garden center, and that the business is operating “day-to-day.”

Adams County records show the 6½-acre property sold for $12.2 million in a deal that closed on April 29. The buyer, 6300 Broadway Associates LLC, shares an address with the Denver offices of global industrial real estate giant Prologis.

A Prologis spokesperson confirmed the purchase Tuesday afternoon, attributing the opportunity to buy the beloved garden center to the owners’ desire to get out of the business.

“We can confirm that Prologis has purchased the property at 6300 N. Broadway, as the Paulino family was ready to retire,” the statement read. “This is located across from Prologis Park Central and the acquisition is part of our urban in-fill strategy.”

Taylor and Edward Ridge were shopping at the store Tuesday and were upset to learn of the impending closure. Edward Ridge said it’s important for them to shop local and support homegrown businesses, rather than big-box stores, even if it ends up being more expensive.

“Everyone’s really nice here and really helpful, and you can tell they really do have a passion for what they do. And they really love their job and that always feeds off good energy I feel to the people, to the plants I’m sure as well,” Edward Ridge said.

Taylor Ridge said the large selection was a big draw for them and they’d only discovered the store last year, so they planned to stock up before it closes for good.

The store traces its roots to 1960, with the Paulino family initially selling vegetables they grew themselves. It’s now one of the state’s largest full-service nurseries and garden centers, according to the store’s website.

Acres of land around the greenhouses are home to various trees and 8,000 roses, the store’s website said, and the garden center is filled to capacity year-round.

Suzanne Sellers has been shopping at Paulino Gardens since 1999 because of the variety.

“Usually I can get everything I need for vegetable gardens here, but other stores, I have to go to a couple different places,” she said.

Though Sellers was disappointed with the upcoming closure, she wasn’t surprised. A friend of hers in the architecture landscaping business told her that a lot of nurseries are closing because land prices are high and there’s often incentive to sell.

Employee David Schuemaker has worked at Paulino Gardens for more than three years since his retirement as a florist for 45 years. He’s been a customer of the store for about 40 years.

“It’s the best place in Denver,” he said. “We have the best selection of anybody in town, both indoor and outdoor. Nobody else can come up to par.”

He added that the owners are sweet and the store is a great place to work, so he’s sad that it’s going away.

The company that purchased the property is building Prologis Park Central, a more than 680,000-square-foot industrial park on Washington Street just north of East 58th Avenue. It is roughly parallel with Paulino Gardens, but on the east side of Interstate 25. The project is being marketed as “Central Denver’s premier industrial development.”

At a time when the Denver area’s population and economy are booming, there is an increasing emphasis on building industrial spaces close to population centers. It’s driven in part by e-commerce and the desire of businesses to be able to reach their customers with same-day delivery, experts say.

Jeremy Ballenger, a senior vice president with real estate services firm CBRE based in Denver, said unincorporated Adams County, where Paulino Gardens is located, is “right in the bullseye” for industrial growth in an interview last month.