The store is busy. Customers come in and out buying everything from two-ounce bottles of Smirnoff vodka to $200 bottles of fine liquor purchased for a retirement gift. They leave the store with smiles and phrases like “Sorry to see you go,” and “We’ll miss you.”

Behind the counter, Margie Zener places libations in paper bags, thanks each person and talks about the business that she and her husband Marc have run for 13 years.

It was started in 1968 and is the first and only liquor store Lopez has known, said Margie.

Now the owners, Margie and Marc Zener are closing its doors on Dec. 19.

The Zeners, shown right, bought the store in 1999. They had previously worked in the insurance business in the Seattle area and moved to Lopez in search of a slower life. But the liquor store kept the couple busy.

“The first few months were a nightmare,” Margie said.

She remembers those early days when distributer prices were extremely high or the prices on orders were changed as the product was delivered. The Zeners stuck it out because they had to make a living and because they had a service that they needed to provide to the community.

They also got involved in volunteering at the Thrift Store, the Lopez Island Historical Society and Museum, the Catherine Washburn Medical Association, Fisherman Bay Water Association and the Lopez Island Golf Course. They loved Lopez and the sense of community, but they also had dreams of retiring.

In November of 2011, Initiative 1183, which essentially kicked the state out of the liquor business and allowed private retailers to sell spirits instead, was passed by voters with nearly 60 percent approval.

Lopez was the only island in the county to reject 1183.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen … our sales went down but we had enough to keep holding on,” said Margie. “Lopez is a great community for supporting each other. We want customers to know how much we appreciate them.”

She added that she appreciates Aaron Dye’s decision to not sell alcohol at the Lopez Village Market until they officially closed their shop.

“We could not have survived if the grocery store had started selling right after the initiative passed,” said Margie.

The decision to close the store does not come from a lack of business, but rather from the Zeners’ desire to retire and relocate to Arizona. Once an offer was made on their house in October, they decided it was time to start a new chapter in their lives.

The couple is excited about moving to a warmer climate and a chance to play more golf. Their two sons say that they can’t wait to visit them in the Southwest.

But the move was not an easy decision. Throughout the years, Margie and Marc have not only sold liquor, but became a part of the lives of their customers, and it has not always been simple. Much like running a bar, they have had to turn down customers who were intoxicated and on several occasions they actually drove people home.

“We have been doing this for so long,” Margie said. “It’s hard to say goodbye.”