Boise, Idaho is not known for having a lot of shopping malls, but the ones we do have are fantastic places to shop.
Boise Towne Square Mall is Boise’s premier mall experience and located at 350 N. Milwaukee, just northwest of the Franklin exit on the I-84 Connector to downtown. This two story shopping mall houses over 180 stores. The complete directory can be viewed here.
Boise Towne Square Mall’s anchor stores include Sears, Dillards, Macy, and JC Penneys. Also highly visible from the parking lot are the wildly popular Cheesecake Factory and Border. Interior mall stores run the range from teen specialty apparel shops, to shoe stores, gift shops, electronic shops, books and card shops, bath & beauty plus hobby shops and more. Restaurants range from Food Court “fast food” offerings, to pretzel or corn dog stands, and several sit-down restaurants that provide a casual dining experience. Mall store hours are 10 am to 9 pm Monday – Saturday, and 11 am to 7 pm on Sunday. The restaurants with exterior exits do stay open later.
Boise Towne Square Mall has all sorts of great things going for it, which is why its popular for the locals. Some of the more positive aspects include:
* Popular for mall walkers, especially since the mall “footprint” opens up about an hour before the stores. Several mall coffee shops are also open this early.
* Completely covered, city bus accessible
* Still looks like a brand new mall despite the age.
* Well patrolled with security, well lighted and very open.
* Centrally located and less than a mile away to hundreds of satellite stores along the Milwaukee Corridor.
* Lots of free parking. During the holidays, shoppers can catch an express bus from downtown to avoid the traffic jams.
* Lots of super clean, public restrooms with diaper changing stations.
* Fun seasonal decorations.
* Something for everyone in every price range.
While Boise Towne Square Mall has the distinction of being the only indoor mall in Boise at the present, there are two shopping centers also worth a mention. These two shopping centers are strip malls, and also quite popular with the locals.
Vista Village is located at 1002 Vista Ave and is regarded as Boise’s oldest strip mall, having been built in 1949. In 2006, Vista Village received a massive makeover which helped energize neighborhood improvements in the surrounding Depot Bench area. The Vista Village mall is located a little more than a mile south of the State Capitol Building and is easy to access. The convenient location makes it popular with downtown commuters and of course, those of us who live nearby.
Vista Village is something of a nontraditional mall with a Rite Aid as it’s major anchor tenant and wide assortment of locally owned specialty shops and small eateries. The Lee’s candy shop is located here, along with Vista Book Gallery, Workman’s Outfitters, Idaho Camera, and Reilly’s Christian Book Store. You can check out the rest of the merchants here. Vista Village is on a direct bus line, plus offers plenty of free parking.
Since each of the shops have their own exterior entrance, the mall hours seem to vary. I’ve noticed Dollar Tree and Moxie Java is open as early as 8 am, though the rest of the mall stores open anywhere from 9 am to 10 am. Before heading out to a specific mall store, it’s best to call ahead.
Last but not least is the Boise Factory Outlet Mall , located at 6806 S Eisenman, just off Exit 57 on I-84. This open air shopping mall deserves much more traffic than it gets, since it offers the best bargains in Boise on family apparel. The general mall area does have a feeling of abandonment and the public bathrooms are terribly far away, but heck, that’s a small price to pay for give-a-way prices.
The Boise Factory Outlet mall has 21 different stores, most of which are clothing stores for everyone in the family. It’s here where our family finds the best bargains on apparel for kids, teens, and adults. Popular kid stores include Osh Kosh and Carters; for adults, there’s Eddie Bauer, Bass, VF, Levi, and Dress Barn. The Boise Factory Outlet mall also has a Corning Revere shop and a kitchen shop, plus a dandy little chocolate shop. Less than 100 yards away from the Outlet Mall is the Idaho Ice World which is a great place to send the kids so the parents can shop in peace.
The Boise Factory Outlet mall has lots of free parking, plus is bus accessible. While it doesn’t have any fast food places on the mall site, shoppers can walk over to Idaho Ice World for something to eat. Mall store hours are 10 am – 8 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm Sunday.
sources:
http://vistavillageboise.com/
http://www.boisetownesquare.com/about
http://www.boisefactoryoutlets.com/
