Bothell’s beloved Country Village closed March 31 after serving the community and local businesses for 34 years.

The shopping center had been set to close for about two years after the Loveless family signed a letter of intent to sell the property to a townhouse developer in 2017. Locals gathered at the village the Sunday to say goodbye before the remaining shops closed.

The Loveless family began looking at selling property in 2015. According to co-owner Leeann Tesorieri at the time, increasing property taxes forced them to sell six acres to housing developers. About 92 townhomes were constructed where the Iron Horse Railway, a novelty train track, once offered pony rides.

More townhomes and restaurants will soon replace Country Village itself and the 40 locally owned shops and restaurants it once hosted.

Numerous shops had already closed doors and moved out, but while locals and business owners knew the village was closing for years, several shop owners decided to stay until the last day, including Victor Obrastoff with his pen shop,The Write Stuff, and Theresa Ankney with her home goods shop Cranberry Cottage, which recently opened at a new location in Bothell.

Teresa Howard and her Practical Sparrow Cafe, had planned to stay at the village until it closed, but a decline in business caused the cafe to close in December 2018.

A potential auction to sell off some of the fixtures around the Country Village has been reported but unconfirmed by village officials.

Country Village was well loved and will be well missed by the community that traveled from as far as Lynnwood for lunch at a local shop.

The chickens that roam Country Village have been a tourist pull. One is seen here wandering around the center on a recent afternoon. Aaron Kunkler / Bothell-Kenmore Reporter

Bothell’s Country Village opened in 1981 and offers around 40 small businesses a place to operate. It will be closing in April 2019 and likely sold to developers. Aaron Kunkler / Bothell-Kenmore Reporter