Bummer, Boise. Despite ‘heart poured into it,’ this planned restaurant is dead
The dust has settled on The Dusty Miller.
Plans to renovate an old Boise Bench building into a new brunch restaurant and bakery have come to a screeching halt.
The Dusty Miller, a project at 802 N. Garden St., will not happen after all, according to a post on its Instagram page.
“ After a lot of time, energy, and heart poured into it, we’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with our plans ...,” the post explained. “This wasn’t an easy call. We truly believed in what that space could become, and we know many of you were excited alongside us. But after navigating a long and complex planning process, unexpected requirements, missteps in our early design team, and a budget that continued to stretch beyond what made sense, it became clear that stepping away is the right decision for us.”
“... While this chapter didn’t unfold the way we hoped, it doesn’t change our commitment to The Dusty Miller or to continuing to grow in a way that is sustainable and true to who we are.”
The building at the intersection of Emerald and Garden streets will be listed for sale. Nearby residents on the Boise Bench might remember it as a secondhand store for toys, or decades ago, a neighborhood market.
The Dusty Miller is a concept from Gordon and Kay Speagle, who continue to operate Dusty Miller Goods, a bakery and gift shop at 2518 W. Main St.
In February, Gordon Speagle told the Idaho Statesman that construction on The Dusty Miller was on track to start by March 1.
“There’s potential. We’re pretty excited about it — the Central Rim, the whole neighborhood,” he said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 4:24 PM.