What Happened to the North Face in Downtown Boise?

Spring is on it's way! You know that that means...warmer weather, longer days and clearance sales on winter apparel! One place you WON'T find those deals? The North Face.

If you know me, you know that I spend a lot of time in the 8th and Idaho in Downtown Boise.  Hubby and I should have our mail forwarded to Old Chicago since we eat there at least twice a week (or more now that their Irish Nachos are back for the St. Patty's mini-tour.  ::drool::)  Walking over to the restaurant on Sunday, we noticed that The North Face building on the corner was completely empty!

We were only in Hawaii for a week.  Did we miss a store closing announcement? Have I been deprived of liquidation prices on some pretty awesome running gear and a new coat?! Not exactly.

Our friend Don at BoiseDev explains that yes, the store is currently closed but it's only temporary.  The merchandise has been removed from the showroom floor in order to let crews remodel the location into a smaller facility and that includes taking out the staircase leading to the second floor of the store.  When construction is complete, the store will re-open on a single level. The design is more consistent with their other locations across the country.

Moving forward, they'll have some storage space on the second floor but the plan is to bring in a different tenant for the upper level of the building.

There's no exact date for when the Downtown Boise location will reopen, but it's expected to be sometime spring.  In the meantime, if you're looking for The North Face products, nearby local retailers McU Sports and Shu's Idaho Running Company carry a smaller selection.