Boise Town Square and Nampa’s Gateway Mall stores will stay
Darnit: Boise Downtown Macy’s To Close
By Jill Kuraitis, 1-05-10
As a person generally in favor of progress and comfortable with change as long as I approve of it – as most of us are – I nevertheless mourn the loss of Boise’s downtown Macy’s, which will close in late March.
The former Bon Marche at the corner of 10th and Idaho may no longer be the heart and soul of downtown, but it was still a landmark that defined the old days for many. 
The headline on Macy’s press release is “Macy’s, Inc. to Close Five Stores as Part of Normal-Course Process.” Typical corporate spin, of course; yet it rings true because of the rotten economy. It’s understandable, but worrying for the 61 Macy’s employees who now face uncertainty. Many will find jobs at the two remaining Treasure Valley stores, but some will not, according to the company.
The downtown Missoula store is also closing.
During the mid- to late 1980s, downtown Boise went to seed, and “The Bon” along with a local department store, The Mode, were among very few active retail shops downtown. The Mode building at 8th and Idaho still carries that name, but it’s now The North Face, an outdoor retail giant, which gutted and reclaimed the building and is seeking LEED certification.
The Macy’s store is a relic, still using swamp coolers in summer. It was a sweaty place to shop, and parking is a pain, unlike Boise Towne Square. But preserving Boise’s old buildings is important, and let’s hope someone comes along to do just that.
The downtown Macy’s has been a place where salespeople knew your name and your taste, would call when something new came in they thought might interest you, and who kept up with regular shoppers and our marriages, babies, and growing children. Lots of us will miss it.
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Macy's basically was a clearinghouse for Chinese-made goods, made with low-cost Asian labor and sold to Americans during the countless Macy's "One Day Sales."
Surely we in the West can find better ways to use our downtown space than to support giant corporations that stock their stores with cheap furniture and dishes manufactured in China? Do we really want to keep subsidizing companies like Macy's whose business model is based on enriching China's economy every time we buy one of their Macy's sale items?
-Jon Cheever