BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Factory Outlet Malls have been mostly vacant for years, but the current owners have proposals in place to dramatically change the landscape of the space.
- Boise Factory Outlets, built in 1994, has been mostly vacant for years.
- The future of the Boise Factory Outlets is uncertain under Gardner Company ownership, with pending permits for a potential auto sales dealership.
- Local businesses like Brigade Screenprinting and Trinity Learning Center are affected, with Brigade hoping to stay put, and Trinity committed to its lease despite potential changes.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
It's a quiet scene these days at the Boise Factory Outlets...
Except inside Brigade Screen Printing.
"We've been in this location for about a year now. But yeah, it's pretty much a ghost town out here," says Shawn Wright.
Wright owns the clothing embroidery and printing businesses, making merch for local businesses, like breweries.
"We started using shops in town… it was wrong, it was expensive, it didn't get to us in time," Wright continues.
So, he and his wife learned to screenprint and embroider themselves, and he says the Boise Factory Outlet Mall has been the perfect place to run his business.
"We love it out here. We wish more people would come out here," Wright says.
But the future is unclear.
The shopping strip was built in 1994 by the Simplot family’s developing group and was once a hot spot for scoring deals and discounts.
Wright says, "We tell the story all the time… this was the village before there was a village."
It has since changed ownership many times over the decades, with Gardner Company purchasing the property in 2021. However, they have yet to move forward on any major changes.
The future of the Factory Outlets lies in the hands of the city.
I'm told Gardner has applied for a conditional planning permit for an auto sales dealership.
It will then head to the planning committee for review and approval, which could take time.
Brigade Printing currently has a one-year lease with Gardner Company. But across the way, Trinity Learning Center is only halfway through its 12-year lease, and owners there don't have any plans to leave early.
The childcare center currently employs 45 people and serves 150 families.
Despite ongoing discussions, it appears any major changes would still be years away.
"We hope there's not a sale; we'd love to be here forever," says Wright.
