The last remaining Boise Factory Outlets retailer is closing. What’s next
The last remaining retailer at the Boise Factory Outlets is set to close.
Eddie Bauer, an outdoor apparel brand, will close on Jan. 28, according to a sign posted inside the store at 6954 S. Eisenman Road. Then, the store will be razed along with the rest of the buildings at the Boise Factory Outlets. A Kenworth dealership will take its place.
Kenworth spokesperson Martha Mills told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday that the five retail buildings on the property will be demolished in February. In April, the company plans to break ground on its planned dealership.
The semi-truck manufacturer, headquartered in the Seattle area, expects to wrap up construction in late 2027.
The fate of Eddie Bauer, which has occupied a space at the Boise Factory Outlets for longer than most of its tenants, was a long time coming. The mall has struggled to attract retailers and customers for most of its existence off Interstate 84 in Southeast Boise. Over the last decade, the number of stores at the mall has dwindled.
In 2020, there were just four retailers left: VF, Pendleton, Hanes-Bali-Playtex and Eddie Bauer, which outlasted them all. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
Eddie Bauer has a regular-priced store at the Boise Towne Square mall on North Milwaukee Street.
“It’s been such a joy serving this community and being a part of your lives for over 20 years,” the sign at Eddie Bauer said. “We’ll cherish all the memories from holiday rushes, special events and everyday moments shared within our walls.”
Most items are now marked 50-60% off. A sign invited customers to share their thoughts on a wall at the back of the store. Several people wrote that they were sorry to see it go.
The remaining storefronts at the Boise Factory Outlets are labeled in red spray pant — “BLD 1” and so on. Some of the building’s roofs sport numerous large holes, exposing the beams underneath, and orange-brown discoloration on the shingles. The large (mostly) empty parking lot has cracks snaking all over it.
Ice World, the city-owned ice skating rink, sits just southeast of the property.
Mills said emergency personnel will be conducting training on the vacant buildings from Jan. 26 through Feb. 5.
She told the Statesman in December 2023 that Kenworth needed more room, and that the dealership in Boise would triple the company’s acreage and building footprint.
Kenworth would also hire more salespeople, technicians and administrators, among others. According to a permit application, the dealership would employ over 90 people with an annual average salary of $90,000.
Mills said the company plans to model the dealership after its other locations in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Spokane.
The property falls within the boundaries of a little-known urban renewal district run by the Capital City Development Corp., or CCDC, the city’s urban renewal agency. The district, which was the first in Boise with an industrial focus, aims to boost industrial development, address the lack of services southeast of the Boise Airport, and revitalize the Eisenman Road corridor, according to CCDC’s website.
