Nampa's Karcher Mall

The Spud State's first mall-type shopping complex was built in the western environs of Boise ("boy-see"). When construction started, the site was located in unincorporated Canyon County. It was annexed into the City of Nampa in August 1965, a couple of weeks before the first stores opened. Note: "Karcher" rhymes with "archer." 

Drawing from the Daum Development Corporation

The original KARCHER MALL encompassed around 102,300 leasable square feet and featured seven stores and services. There was free parking for nearly 1,000 autos. 

Drawing from the Daum Development Corporation

A vintage newspaper ad announces the grand opening of the Karcher Mall Barber Shop, which was a charter tenant. 

Advert from the Daum Development Corporation

 
MAJOR IDAHO MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS:

Lynnewood Center, Twin Falls (1957) [open-air cluster complex]
Westgate Center, Boise (1959) [open-air strip complex]

1. Karcher Mall-District 208, Nampa (1965)
2. Westwood Mall-Westwood Village, Pocatello (April 20, 1966) 

3. Couer d'Alene Shopping Mall, Coeur d'Alene (April 27, 1966-1996) 

4. Country Club Center, Idaho Falls (1971-1996)

5. Westgate Mall, Boise (1972)

6. Pocatello Mall, Pocatello (1975-1999)

7. Yellowstone Mall, Idaho Falls (1976-1997) 

8. Blue Lakes Center-Mall, Twin Falls (1964 & 1978-1995)

9. Moscow Mall-Eastside Marketplace, Moscow (1978) 

10. Palouse ["puh-loos"] Empire Mall-Palouse Mall-Palouse Place, Moscow (1976 & 1979)
11. Burley Mall-Snake River Mall-Riverdale Crossing, Burley (1979-2010)
12. Lewiston Center Mall, Lewiston (1965 & 1981)
13. Pine Ridge Mall, Chubbuck (1981)

14. Bonner Mall, Sandpoint (1984)
15. Grand Teton Mall, Idaho Falls (1984)

16. Magic Valley Mall, Twin Falls (1986)

17. Boise Town Square, Boise (1988)

18. Silver Lake Mall, Coeur D'Alene (1989)

19. Nampa Gateway Center, Nampa (2007) [lifestyle center]

20. The Village At Meridian, Meridian (2012) [lifestyle center]

Malls indicated in green are covered with an article in our "Idaho" section.

A Phase I expansion was built between March 1967 and October 1968. The 3 million dollar project added J.C. Penney and twenty-one inline stores and expanded the gross leasable area to around 417,900 square feet. A southeast anchor store (on the left) is shown on this circa-'67 rendering. It wouldn't be built until the early 1970s.

Drawing from the Daum Development Corporation

An alfalfa field becomes a fully-enclosed shopping center! In this site plan, we see KARCHER MALL as it was configured in early 1969. The complex started with a Northwest Wing (in black). An initial Southeast Wing (in gray) expanded the mall's directory to twenty-eight stores and services.

KARCHER MALL TENANTS 1969:

J.C. PENNY (with Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / BUTTREY FOODS SUPER STORE / TEMPO (with attached Auto Service Center) / SPROUSE-REITZ 5 & 10 / Adorn Beauty Salon / David's Fabrics / Day's Cosmetics / Downer's / Eddie May's Restaurant & Lounge / House of Fabrics / Garber Shoes / ID Store / Irene's Fashions / Jay-Vee Shops ladies' wear / K-G Bootery / K-G Men's Store / K-Lee's Diamonds & Fine Jewelry / Kinney Shoes / Mall Barber Shop / Miss K-G ladies' wear / Mode O'Day Frock Shop / Singer Sewing Center / Skaggs Drug Center / State Farm Insurance / The Idaho First National Bank / Tewksbury Jewelers / Walton's Card & Gift Shop / William's Pro-Kleen

The late '60s mall expansion added a freestanding Penneys Auto Center. The 10-bay facility stood in the front parking area.

Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company

Seattle-based The Bon Marche added a second anchor store to KARCHER MALL. Part of an extended Southeast Wing, it comprised 60,000 square feet on a single level. The store welcomed first patrons in August 1973.

Drawing from the Allied Stores Corporation

By the autumn of 1973, a Phase II Southeast Wing expansion (in gray) has added the aforementioned second anchor store and a twin cinema. With these improvements, KARCHER MALL covers approximately 517,900 leasable square feet and contains fifty stores and services. Free parking is provided for 2,100 autos.

By 1993, the Treasure Valley shopping hub housed stores such as Troutman's Emporium ("The Emporium"), The Hub Clothing, PayLess Drug, Sears Catalog & Appliance and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
Graphic from the Standard Management Company

In 2013, KARCHER MALL houses stores such as Macy's Clearance Center, Burlington Coat Factory, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Big 5 Sporting Goods. A standard Macy's, which replaced "The Bon" in the early 2000s, shut down in October 2009. The large peripheral structure on the right opened, as an Ernst Home Center, in 1976. It closed in 1996 and, at the time of this plan, housed Big Lots.

This standard Macy's was a part of KARCHER MALL for nearly 5 years. A Macy's Clearance Center in another section of the mall was in operation for an additional 4 years, but went dark in October 2014.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Caldorwards4"

A parting view of the enclosed shopping concourse at KARCHER MALL. After several years in decline, the complex was sold to a California-based developer. They announced a demalling-type renovation in May 2019.

Photo from Milan Properties

A site plan for KARCHER MARKETPLACE...make that DISTRICT 208. The diagram shows that the Southeast Wing (outlined in red) has been torn down and utilized as expanded parking area. The enclosed shopping concourse is gone. Eleven residential units (in green) now fill the south and west parking lots.  

Original drawing from Rhino Investments 

A second plan shows the former enclosed shopping concourse in blue. As mentioned, the Southeast Wing has been torn down. The central and northwest section were gutted and incorporated into retail area. In essence, several store spaces were joined together to create large big-box-type units. New construction is shown in light gray.  

Original drawing from Rhino Investments

KARCHER MALL
Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard / US 30 and West Karcher Road
Nampa, Idaho

Plans for the Spud State's first shopping mall were announced in August 1964. The complex would be built on 20 acres of a 34.9-acre tract. This was located 19 miles west of downtown Boise, in an unincorporated section of Canyon County. The mall site was annexed into the City of Nampa on August 2, 1965.

KARCHER MALL was designed by Robert B. Liles, Incorporated, of San Francisco. The fully-enclosed complex was built by the Nampa-based Daum Development Corporation. In its original state, the shopping hub consisted of a single retail level and encompassed approximately 103,000 leasable square feet. 

The first tenants, Kinney Shoes, the Karcher Mall Barber Shop and a (34,000 square foot) Buttrey Foods Super Store, opened for business on August 26, 1965. Four additional stores and services were dedicated on September 15th; Andre's Beauty Salon & Sauna, Anne's Flowers, a (9,000 square foot) Sprouse-Reitz 5 & 10 and (30,000 square foot) Tempo Discount Center.

Construction commenced on a Phase I addition on March 8, 1967. This 2.9 million dollar project, envisaged by Wichita's Development Design Associates, expanded the existing mall southward. A 2-level center section was built. New stores included Irene's Fashions, Singer Sewing Center, a Boise-based ID Store and (24,000 square foot) Skaggs Drug Center. 

 

The centerpiece of the renovation was a 2-level (140,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. This store was dedicated -along with the new mall wing- on October 23, 1968. The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by Harry Daum (mall developer), Ernest Starr (Mayor of Nampa), N.E. "Coley" Smith (Mayor of Caldwell) and Karen Ryder, "Miss Idaho 1969." In late 1969, the mall's discount variety store was rebranded as a Rasco Tempo. 

A Phase II southward expansion was announced on July 26, 1972, with construction getting underway in January 1973. This project added a 1-level (60,000 square foot) Seattle-based The Bon Marche, the Virgil O'Dell Red & Blue Twin Cinemas and nineteen inline stores. 

On August 3, 1973, an expanded Southeast Wing opened for business. KARCHER MALL now encompassed approximately 600,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty stores and services. One of these -Rasco Tempo- went dark in the fall of 1981. The vacant store was renovated, with F.W. Woolworth opening its doors on March 31, 1982.

Los Angeles' Standard Management Company acquired KARCHER MALL, with the transaction closing on October 17, 1986. A one million dollar face lift renovation was completed in November 1987; this project being a keeping up measure with an up-and-coming retail rival.

BOISE TOWN SQUARE {15.8 miles east, in Boise} was dedicated in October 1988. This new super mall snatched J.C. Penney, the primary KARCHER anchor. To add insult to injury, the TOWN SQUARE would be expanded -to 1,170,000 square feet- with additions in 1998 and 2000.

Penney's vacant KARCHER MALL space was retenanted by Eugene, Oregon-based Troutman's Emporium (a.k.a. "The Emporium"). This store held its grand opening on November 21, 1988. Unfortunately, the new anchor store failed to halt the mall's decline. It was in foreclosure by the mid-1990s. 

The struggling shopping venue changed hands on May 6, 1998. It was acquired by Karcher Partners; a joint venture of Terrytown, New York's DLC Management  Corporation and Dallas' Benton Companies. A second face lift commenced in April 2000. As part of this 10 million dollar project, new flooring, lighting, skylights and storefronts were installed, with the mall's Main Entrance rebuilt. 

Vacant retail spaces were also leased. Intermountain Outdoor Sports replaced a vacant Woolworth's, with Jo-Ann Fabrics assuming the old PayLess Drug. Big 5 Sporting Goods set up shop in the Northwest Wing and an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar was built as a freestanding structure.

KARCHER MALL lost Troutman's Emporium in February 2003. Pleasanton, California-based Ross Dress For Less leased the old Buttrey Foods location in 2004 . The mall's southeast anchor was rebannered as a Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003, and was rebranded by Macy's on March 6, 2005.

Over the next 2 years, the mall changed hands three times. On May 7, 2004, LB Nampa Mall Holdings, a subsidiary of New York City's Lehman Brothers, closed on their purchase. Chicago's Baum Brothers, Limited Liability Company bought the mall in July 2005. They flipped the property 2 months later, with Anaheim, California's Milan Properties becoming the new proprietor.

 

Milan Properties started a mall refurbishment in 2008. A more ambitious remodeling, which had been proposed by the previous owner, was scrapped. Milan's scaled-down renovation concentrated on a face lift of the interior, remodeling of entrances and painting of the exterior. The 14 million dollar project was completed in the spring of 2009. New Burlington Coat Factory and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear stores had opened. Unfortunately, Steve & Barry's went bust after only 11 months.

The cinema, which had operated as the Karcher Reel Theatre until February 2000, re-opened, as the Northern Lights Cinema Grill, in September 2009. The primary Macy's was shuttered on October 14th. The store moved to the new NAMPA GATEWAY CENTER {4.3 miles east, in Canyon County}. A KARCHER MALL Macy's Clearance Center remained intact for the time being.

Meanwhile, a third retail rival came on the scene. The TREASURE VALLEY MARKETPLACE power center {.7 mile northeast, in Nampa} opened for business in August 2010. The Macy's Clearance Center at KARCHER MALL was shuttered in July 2014. The original Macy's morphed into a Mor Furniture For Less in June 2016. The Burlington store went dark in September 2018.

Livermore, California's Rhino Investments bought KARCHER MALL in May 2019. A 30 million dollar demalling was proposed. An 81,000 square foot section of the Southeast Wing would be demolished and the enclosed shopping concourse converted into inline store space. 

A revitalized power center, known -at first- as KARCHER MARKETPLACE, would include 216 residential units. A photo-op groundbreaking was held in November 2019, with demolition on the Southeast Wing getting underway soon after.  The official name of the shopping complex was changed to DISTRICT 208 in 2022. It was sold to Los Angeles' Hyperion Realty Capital in May 2025, who became the property's eighth owner. 

Sources:

The Idaho Free Press (Nampa, Idaho)
https://id-canyon.publicaccessnow.com / Canyon County, Idaho

http://shopkarchermall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.cityofcaldwell.org

https://idahobusinessreview.com / Idaho Business Review

http://www.baumrealty.com / Baum Brothers, Limited Liability Company

https://www.proquest.com

https://www.kivitv.com / KIVI-TV
http://www.rinconadadevelopment.com / Rinconada Development, Limited Liability Company

http://www.rhinoinvestmentsgroup.com / Rhino Investments

"Karcher Mall" and "List of mayors of Nampa, Idaho" articles on Wikipedia

Moscow's Palouse Empire Mall

This retail hub was built in the northern section of the Idaho Panhandle. Added to an existing Kmart-anchored strip plaza, PALOUSE ["puh-loos"] EMPIRE MALL opened for business in October 1979.
Graphic from E.D. McCarthy, Incorporated

An advert announcing the official grand opening of PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL. At its official dedication, the shopping facility housed fifteen stores and services (there would eventually be twenty-two).
Graphic from E.D. McCarthy, Incorporated

A circa-1983 physical layout shows the fully-realized shopping and entertainment complex. The initial Kmart plaza is shown in black. The enclosed mall, added to its west side, is indicated in medium gray. When fully-leased, it contained thirty-five tenant spaces. A freestanding Ernst Home Center and 4-plex cinema were completed in 1980 and 1983, respectively.

The first enclosed shopping center in Moscow opened in the fall of 1978 and featured stores such as Sears, Safeway and Giant T. MOSCOW MALL encompassed approximately 150,000 leasable square feet, making it around half the size of the original PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL. Today, MOSCOW MALL is known as EASTSIDE MARKETPLACE.

Photo from https://uispecialcollections.tumblr.com

PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL was given an indoor-outdoor face lift in the 1990s. Its exterior was rebuilt and 13,000 square feet of store space added. The refurbished facility would be known -henceforth- as PALOUSE MALL. This logo made its debut as part of a November 1997 re-grand opening.
Graphic from http://www.palousemall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

The center's center anchor opened, in August 1980, a Washington State-based Lamonts. The store received a Gottschalks nameplate in August of the year 2000.
Photo from www.wsulibs.edu / Paul Brians

The west anchor of PALOUSE MALL was built as the Seattle-based The Bon Marche (a.k.a. "The Bon"). It morphed into a Bon-Macy's in August 2003 and became a bona fide Macy's in March 2005.

Photo from www.wsulibs.edu / Paul Brians

By 2013, several stores have come and gone. Kmart closed for good and was replaced by a supermarket in July 1996 . It was expanded and rebranded -as the Winco Foods seen here- in 1999. Gottschalks shut down, with its building divided between Old Navy and Bed, Bath & Beyond. These stores welcomed first shoppers in August 2007.

PALOUSE MALL TENANTS 2013:

MACY'S / WINCO FOODS / Apple Authorized Reseller / A T & T Wireless / Bath & Body Works / Bed, Bath & Beyond / Big 5 Sporting Goods (outparcel) / Botticelli Espresso / Chase Bank (outparcel) / Christopher & Banks ladies' wear / Claire's Accessories / DownEast Clothing ladies' wear / Famous Footwear / Firehouse Grill & Pub / GameStop / Harry Ritchie's Jewelers / Hastings (outparcel) / Hi-Tek Nails & Tanning / Hot Topic! / JoAnn Fabrics / Maurices ladies' wear / Michaels / My Dentist / Northwest Beauty / Office Depot (outparcel) / Old Navy apparel / Orange Julius / Original Wingers (outparcel) / Payless ShoeSource / Pilgrim's Nutrition Center / Pretzelmaker - Mrs. Fields Cookies / Printstop / Qdoba Mexican Grill / Quiznos / Radio Shack - J & L Electronics / Regis Hairstylists / Rite Aid Drug / Ross Dress for Less / Rue21 young ladies' wear / Sangria Grille (outparcel) / Sherwin Williams Paints (outparcel) / Smoky Mountain Pizzeria Grill / Sport Town / Sprint / Starbucks Coffee / Super China Buffet / The Buckle apparel / Vanity young ladies' wear / Verizon Wireless / VGH Computer Services / Winnie's Hallmark Cards & Gifts / Zumiez apparel

A vista view of the Idaho Panhandle property. In the 2020s, it encompasses around 404,000 leasable square feet and features forty-six stores and services. Free parking is provided for 2,170 autos.

Photo from http://www.palousemall.com

A new mall name was bequeathed in mid-2023; PALOUSE PLACE. In this circa-2025 plan, we see that the store block at the southwest corner has been retenanted by Petco, Staples and Marshalls. Jo-Ann Fabrics has moved from an outdoor East Wing space to the inside of the mall. More recently, a vacant Macy's has been expanded and leased by Target.

PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL
West Pullman and Farm Roads
Moscow, Idaho

Idaho's tenth mall-type shopping center was built in the North Central, or Panhandle, section of the state, in a 20-square-mile region known as The Palouse ["Puh-loos"]. This area owes its name to the Paluse Native American tribe, its original inhabitants.

The mall's story begins in 1964, when the J.C. Penney Company asked Spokane developer Earl D. McCarthy to find a site for a prospective Palouse Penney's store. Land was secured in 1969, with  McCarthy signing a lease with the University of Idaho, who owned a 45-acre site, located 1.2 miles west of downtown Moscow ["Mos-koh"].

PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL originated with a single-level strip center that was dedicated on September 28, 1976. Three tenants occupied the structure; a (40,000 square foot) Kmart, (30,000 square foot) Rosauers supermarket and (20,000 square foot) Pay 'n Save Drug.

An enclosed mall of 250,700 square feet was added to the west side of the strip center. This fully-enclosed addition featured a 975-foot-long concourse and opened, with fifteen tenants, on October 4, 1979. Two anchor department stores were dedicated; a 1-level (38,500 square foot) J.C. Penney and 1-level (37,400 square foot), Seattle-based The Bon Marche.

The PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL grand opening was attended by US Representative Steve Symms (R), Idaho Senator Norma Dobler (D), Richard Gibb (President of the University of Idaho), Don Mackin (Mayor of Moscow) and Patty McCarthy (widow of mall developer Earl D. McCarthy). 

Charter stores and services included Kinney Shoes, The Dog's Ear, Waldenbooks, Naturalizer Shoes, The Cover Up apparel, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Betsy's Candle Magic, House of Fabrics, Lerner Shops, Musicland and Orange Julius. 

A 1-level (37,300 square foot) Ernst Home Center was built as a freestanding structure. Its official dedication was held on March 3, 1980. The mall's fourth anchor, a 1-level (39,200 square foot), Bellevue, Washington-based Lamonts, opened in August 1980. This store carried women's, men's, children's and infants apparel, domestics, linens, jewelry, cosmetics and shoes. 

Now fully-realized, the shopping hub spanned approximately 371,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty-one stores and services. The Theatre Operators University 4 was built as a northeastern mall outparcel. This venue showed first features in early 1983.

PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL was the largest retail complex in -or around- Moscow. Its primary competitor, MOSCOW MALL (1978) was located 2.1 miles southwest. This partially-enclosed facility spanned approximately 150,000 leasable square feet. It was eventually renamed EASTSIDE MARKETPLACE. 

 

On May 1, 1990, the mall's Rosauers supermarket was rebranded by Excell Foods. This store was shuttered in 1992. Price Connection assumed the vacant space and opened on April 22, 1993. On November 30th, after only seven months in business, Price Connection went dark. The adjacent Pay 'n Save store was acquired by PayLess Drug in June 1992. Kmart was shuttered on September 27, 1995. The vacant store was expanded by 13,000 square feet. A (53,000 square foot), Salem, Oregon-based Waremart Foods was dedicated on July 22, 1996. 

 

Meanwhile, a mall-wide face lift had been announced in March. During this project, the exterior of PALOUSE EMPIRE MALL was refurbished, the Main Entry rebuilt and new interior lighting installed. A revitalized shopping hub was dedicated on November 13, 1997. As part of its remodeling, its name had been shortened to PALOUSE MALL. 

 

Store nameplate changes continued. In March 1997, PayLess Drug morphed into a Rite Aid Drug. J.C. Penney went dark on August 1, 1998. Eugene, Oregon-based Troutman's Emporium renovated the building and opened their thirty-first location on September 5, 1998. Waremart Foods morphed into WinCo Foods in January 1999.

Lamonts was acquired by Fresno-based Gottschalks in April 2000. They rebranded the PALOUSE MALL store on August 26 of the same year. Troutman's began a liquidation sale in February 2003 and eventually re-opened as a Ross Dress For Less. By this time. the shopping complex was being managed by Jameson Commercial Property, of Spokane, Washington.

The Bon Marche was rebranded as a Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003 and became a bona fide Macy's on March 6, 2005. Gottschalks closed their PALOUSE MALL store on January 27, 2007. The structure was divided between Old Navy and Bed, Bath & Beyond stores. These opened for business on August 14 and 15, 2007.

 

In the 2010s, PALOUSE MALL housed forty-one stores and services, with eight outparcels. Major stores included Ross, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Rite Aid, Michaels, Winco Foods and Marshalls. The mall's Macy's was shuttered in April 2016. The building would sit vacant for nearly 5 years. 

In September 2020, Minnesota's Target chain confirmed plans to renovate and expand the structure into a 1-level (60,000 square foot) store. Construction was underway by February 2021, with Target opening its doors on October 24, 2021. A new mall name was instituted in mid-2023. The complex would be known, henceforth, as PALOUSE PLACE.

Sources:

The Lewiston Morning Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho)
The University of Idaho Argonaut (Moscow, Idaho)
The Moscow-Pullman Daily News

The Spokane Daily Chronicle
https://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest

https://latahcountyid.gov / Latah County, Idaho
http://www.palousemall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://palousemall.com

https://www.nwpb.org

"Palouse Mall" article on Wikipedia

Idaho's Lewiston Center Mall

One of the first regional shopping hubs in Idaho's Snake River Valley, LEWISTON CENTER was completed in the fall of 1965. The logo seen here was in use by the mid-1970s.

Graphic from the Daum Development Corporation

LEWISTON CENTER opened as a strip-type complex. There were approximately 225,000 leasable square feet and twelve stores and services. Free parking was provided for 1,070 autos. The original tenant line-up shown here lasted into the mid-1970s.

The Tempo -later Rasco Tempo- store went dark in 1976. It was replaced by a Seattle-based The Bon Marche, which held its grand opening in July 1978.

Advert from Daum Development

The Gem State center, following its 1980-'81 conversion into a partially-enclosed structure. The 1965 strip plaza is shown in black, with newly-added mall space indicated in gray. The facility now spanned around 250,000 leasable square feet and contained twenty-eight tenant spaces under its roof.

LEWISTON CENTER MALL TENANTS 1981:

IN THE ORIGINAL STRIP CENTER

BUTTREY FOODS SUPER STORE / J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop) / MONTGOMERY WARD (with Snack Bar) / THE BON MARCHE / Dial Finance / Idaho National Bank / Jack O' Diamonds Jewelers / Nelson's Fabric Tree / One Hour Martinizing / Pay Less Drug / Team Electronics

 IN THE NEW ENCLOSED MALL

Andrews Hallmark / Cole's Gifts / Cole's Jewelry / Floyd's Naturalizer Shoes / Games People Play / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Idaho Photo / Kactus Kenny's / Karmelkorn / Kinney Shoes / Maurices / Orange Julius / Shenanigans Book & Game Company /  Small World / The Spectacle / Third Dimension  

Montgomery Ward served as the west anchor of LEWISTON CENTER for 17 years. The store was replaced by a Washington State-based Lamonts in 1984, which was rebranded by Fresno-based Gottschalks in August of the year 2000.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "Ky24941"

The demise of Gottschalks, in July 2009, resulted in the mall's west end anchor space sitting idle once more. This time around, it would take over 5 years to fill the vacancy.

The "Center Mall" in 2015. Another anchor store went dark in 2012, when Sears pulled up stakes. Fortunately, it did not take long to find a new tenant. Big Lots opened in November. A pesky vacant west end anchor was eventually demolished. It was replaced by Winco Foods, who opened in late 2014.

We conclude our LEWISTON CENTER visit with a set of 2010s-vintage images. Above, we see the mall's Main Entrance, which was rebuilt as part of a 1994 indoor-outdoor renovation. 
Photo from www.loopnet.com

One of four entrances into the climate-controlled shopping concourse sported a Macy's moniker. This store was a mall tenant for over 14 years. A section of its vacant space has been reconfigured as a Planet Fitness gym.
Photo from www.loopnet.com

The East Entry at LEWISTON CENTER MALL straddles the J.C. Penney store, which had both exterior and interior doorways.
Photo from www.loopnet.com

Penney's anchored LEWISTON CENTER for over 42 years. The building now houses a Hobby Lobby store.
Photo from www.loopnet.com

LEWISTON CENTER-MALL

19th Avenue and 17th Street

Lewiston, Idaho

 

This Lewis Clark Valley shopping hub evolved from a single-level strip complex. LEWISTON CENTER was built on a 17.3-acre site, located 1.2 miles south of downtown Lewiston. Nampa's Daum Development Corporation built the facility on land leased from the McCann Land Company. Ground was broken on January 20, 1965, with grading complete by February. 

 

On August 15, 1965, Kinney Shoes became the first operational store. Its grand opening was followed by those for PayLess Drug, on September 28th, and a (32,100 square foot) Buttrey Foods Super Store, on September 30th. This supermarket awarded Gold Strike trading stamps with every purchase.

 

Three new stores opened on October 27, 1965. These were a 1-level (38,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward, 1-level (44,900 square foot) Tempo Discount Center and 1-level (51,075 square foot) W.T. Grant. Wards included a snack bar. Grants featured a Bradford House restaurant. At this time, LEWISTON CENTER encompassed approximately 225,000 leasable square feet and contained twelve stores and services. 

Tempo became the first major tenant to receive a new nameplate. A Rasco Tempo trademark was installed in September 1969. The store closed in March 1976. Grants at LEWISTON CENTER was shuttered in November 1975. Its space was retenanted by J.C. Penney, who relocated from their downtown Lewiston location on August 24, 1977.

The vacant Rasco Tempo space was leased by Seattle-based The Bon Marche, which also relocated from a center city location. The Bon opened for business on July 24, 1978. Montgomery Ward was shuttered on December 24, 1981 and re-opened, as a Washington State-based Lamonts, on October 26, 1984. Buttrey Foods closed in July 1987, with the store space being assumed by Sears in October.

Meanwhile, a 25,000 square foot addition was built on the north-facing front of the open-air strip center. It featured a fully-enclosed shopping concourse and added fifteen tenants to the store directory. Some of these stores were Andrews Hallmark, Karmelkorn, Orange Julius and Third Dimension.

A grand opening celebration began on September 24, 1981 and lasted for 10 days. Entertainment was provided by the Lewiston High School Pep Band, Jawbone Flats Barbershop Singers and Lewis & Clark Sweet Adelines. There was also a square dancing exhibition by the Twin City Twirlers. 

 

With completion of the addition, the 250,000 square foot retail venue was renamed LEWISTON CENTER MALL. It became the preeminent shopping center in -or around- "L Town." The only competitor within a 30 mile radius was Moscow, Idaho's PALOUSE ["puh-loos"] EMPIRE MALL (1979).

Lamonts Apparel, Incorporated was acquired by Fresno, California's Gottschalks chain in July 2000. The LEWISTON CENTER Lamonts was rebranded by Gottschalks on August 26, 2000. The store had closed for good by July 15, 2009. The mall's Bon Marche was rebranded, as a Bon-Macy's, on August 1, 2003 and was rebranded by Macy's on March 6, 2005.

A major vacancy was created in 2012, when Sears shut down. The store space was renovated and re-opened, as a Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots, on November 8, 2012. The Gottschalks building sat vacant for 5 years and was eventually demolished. A 1-level (59,400 square foot) Boise-based Winco Foods was built. It was dedicated on November 6, 2014.

Two more LEWISTON CENTER anchor stores went dark in 2020. Macy's shut down in March, with J.C. Penney closing in July. The struggling shopping complex was put up for sale in June 2020. It was sold in May 2023, with the Boise-based Lewiston Center Equities, Limited Liability Company becoming the new owner. 

 

Lewiston Center Equities began retenanting the virtually vacant mall. Planet Fitness assumed 24,000 square feet of the vacant Macy's space and opened for business on March 19, 2024. In April 2024, it was announced that Hobby Lobby was leasing the vacant J.C. Penney at LEWISTON CENTER. The (51,000 square foot) store was officially dedicated on June 6, 2025.

Sources:

The Lewiston Morning Tribune

The University of Idaho Argonaut

https://www.co.nezperce.id.us / Nez Perce County, Idaho

https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com

http://www.lewistoncenter.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

http://idahodocs.cdmhost.com

https://wwd.com / Women's Wear Daily

https://newsroom.hobbylobby.com

"The Bon Marche", "Lamonts" and "Gottschalks" articles on Wikipedia