A beloved Gainesville plant nursery and community fixture is set to close its doors at the end of the year following a $160 million sale to data centers.

Merrifield Garden Center at 6895 Wellington Road in the Brentsville magisterial district – albeit with a Gainesville address – falls within Prince William County’s data center opportunity zone overlay district where the tech hubs can be built by right.

According to court records, the sale went for approximately $4.2 million per acre, with the property located behind Village Place Technology Park and John Marshall Tech Park, both in Gainesville.

As first reported by the Prince William Times, Merrifield Garden Center’s Gainesville location was purchased by Black Chamber Partners, LLC, part of a private equity firm with a focus on Northern Virginia data center development.

The nursery chain, owned by the Warhurst family, also features locations in Falls Church and Fairfax.

The owners did not immediately return InsideNoVa’s requests for comment.

Merrifield opened its Gainesville store and greenhouse, measuring 12,000 and 37,000 square feet, respectively, in 2008. It had become a local staple for gifts, holiday items and its renowned cafe.

A sign posted outside the store Thursday lamented the “difficult decision” to close come Dec. 31.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our customers for your support, trust and friendship over the last 17 years,” the sign read. “We hope you will visit our team as several will relocate to our Fair Oaks and Merrifield locations.”