BOISE - Sunday marked the end of a long-time downtown Boise store.
Macy's Department Store closed for good early Sunday evening.
It was in January when the company first announced the decision. A spokesman said the corporate office was streamlining by shedding stores that weren't performing well.
Since that announcement, prices were slashed and daily sales were held to get rid of inventory.
While shoppers took advantage, some were also sad to see this downtown fixture close.
“This store has a lot of character," said shopper Kate Baker. "You walk into it and feel like you're on a movie set. It's like an old- fashioned Macy's. You feel kind of sad."
Baker was lured in by the promising signs offering deep discounts and experienced the good kind of sticker shock on clothes. But she said she’s tired of seeing local businesses leave the area and would have rather seen the store succeed.
"I keep waiting for things to turn back around. And you wonder, when they do, what's going to be left?" Baker said. "Parts of Boise feel kind of like a ghost town when you see these places that you used to go to and enjoy and now they're gone."
The sales came at the perfect time for Bob Harmon and Barb Proctor.
They plan to open a store of their own and made several trips to load up on furniture for it.
"Needed a lot of fixtures and displays," Harmon said. "They had a lot available. So, not that anyone's excited to see an anchor leave downtown, but their loss is our gain."
Barb Proctor said she has hopes that someone will come in and take Macy's place.
"Hope somebody else comes in, that they see the value of this store downtown," Proctor said. "It's a beautiful store that shouldn't be vacant."
As a result of the closure, 61 people lost their jobs, but a company spokesman told us they had the option of finding employment with the company in other locations.
The Treasure Valley still has a Macy's at the Boise Towne Square Mall and one that recently opened in Nampa.
Macy's owns the building and told us it would put the building up for sale.
The Downtown Boise Association calls this location ideal for businesses and is hopeful it will find a buyer soon.
The retailer plans to close four other stores in Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Montana.
