BOISE, Idaho — Over the past year, we've seen businesses close their doors thanks to the pandemic.
According to the Downtown Boise Association (DBA), between January of 2020 and March of 2021 the downtown area saw 27 businesses close. Of those closures, 16 reported COVID-19 as their reason for closing.
The DBA says though we lost several businesses during that time period, data suggests we gained more businesses than we lost.
"All in all looking at that 15 month period, we were net positive 32 businesses in downtown Boise," explained Jennifer Hensley, the executive director of the DBA.
One of those new businesses is Hayes Boutique. The shop opened its doors in June of 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic.
It wasn't an easy journey for owner and Boise native Janie Hayes, but she says the community has made it worth it.
"It's been such a welcoming experience from the day we got here, and as we grow and get our regulars and are able to do events with people, we've noticed a great reaction from the community," Hays said.
