‘Downtown is tough right now’: This Boise coffee shop and cafe just closed

A coffee shop and cafe in downtown Boise has poured its final cup.

Alchemist Coffee, 620 W. Idaho St., closed permanently after a final day Sunday, founder and co-owner Kris Price said.

The reason? Not enough sales. “Just didn’t have the business to make the downtown rent pencil,” Price explained in a text message. “Downtown is tough right now.”

Alchemist Coffee opened there last September, shortly after Alchemist Plant Pub, a vegan restaurant, closed in the same spot the month before.

A Boise-based chain, Alchemist Coffee still operates locations at 10650 W. Overland Road and 2701 W. Stewart Ave.

More Alchemist stores are coming, Price said. A third spot should open by late spring or early summer at the future Clubhound dog park and bar at 415 E. Remington St. A fourth location is planned by the end of the year at the Orchard Park development in Meridian.

“... The brand is solid,” he said. “Just some restructuring.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 1:01 PM.

Michael Deeds

Idaho Statesman

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Michael Deeds is a long-serving entertainment reporter and opinion columnist at the Idaho Statesman, where he chronicles the Boise good life: restaurants, concerts, culture, cool stuff. He started as a summer intern after graduating from the University of Nebraska with a news-editorial journalism degree. Deeds’ prior Statesman roles have included sportswriter, music critic and features editor. His other writing has ranged from freelancing album reviews for The Washington Post to bragging about Boise in that inflight magazine you left on the plane.