Bothell's Country Village Hooks On A Caboose -- Meandering Complex Of Stores Now Boasts 43 Unique Shops

-- BOTHELL

Only about a mile south of the Canyon Park business park, where high technology is the order of the day, Rod Loveless has recreated a small New England town.

And while it may be that the antiques and the flavor of the past at Country Village have helped attract customers, for Loveless a taste of the old is more than just a gimmick.

Loveless, a retired building contractor, has shaped the small shopping center on the Bothell-Everett Highway just south of Interstate 405 from a single store in 1981 to 43 stores today.

Amid the growth, Loveless said he has been able to keep the flavor of the place and avoid becoming too commercial. The village, he said, reflects a little bit of his personality: friendly, honest, without frills.

``I guess it was just a lucky break,'' said Loveless, remembering how his village got started. ``I wanted something to keep me busy through retirement. But I didn't have this in mind.''

Loveless, an energetic 64-year-old, is easy to spot at the village, dressed in working clothes and often carrying construction tools.

Every building on the property has his stamp on it. The landscaping is by his wife and one of his sons manages the place.

But the idea of building a shopping center wasn't on Loveless' mind when he and one of his sons bought the 3 1/2-acre property in 1979. Then, the plan was to manufacture fiberglass sailboats - an idea that fell through when the family discovered the zoning wouldn't allow manufacturing.

Shortly after that, Loveless was approached by Carol Rowlands, who wanted to open an antique shop in an old building on the property.

``It sounded like a good idea so we went ahead with the remodeling,'' Loveless remembers. From that first store, Farmhouse Antiques, the village began to grow.

Loveless' interest in antiques has grown over the years and he has made an effort to give the village a sense of history.

There's even a piece of local history there: One of the buildings on the property was built in 1901 by the Ericksons, a pioneer Bothell family.

And it almost didn't survive. He didn't know it at the time, but the home was scheduled for demolition for safety reasons when Loveless bought it, and he rebuilt it just in time to avoid losing the structure.

He also has recently bought a red 1923 caboose from the city of Everett, a historical piece that could have been scrapped, he said.

The caboose is the second and will be turned into a antique clock shop. Loveless also owns a half-dozen antique automobiles, including a 1919 fire engine truck and Model T.

The shops are independently operated, said Scott Loveless, one of Loveless' sons and manager at the village. The family makes a living by leasing the space.

From Scott's office the village looks very real, old and established - as if it has been there for decades. He credits his father for that ``authentic look.''

Loveless said a local artist added years to his buildings with a stroke of his brush. False fronts and old building materials, leftovers from tired and neglected structures, also have been used.

Last year the village's growing popularity drew attention from Bothell city officials, upset because they said traffic congestion at the village was becoming a serious problem.

Loveless said those problems have been fixed. Parking has been expanded to 400 spaces, and shoulders were added to the highway in front of the village. Loveless also rents a cow pasture from his neighbors when the regular parking fills up.

``Some of our customers complain about stepping on cow pies, but I remind them that they are visiting a country village,'' Loveless said.