Popular Retailer With 5 Idaho Locations To Close Four More Stores

There was a time when I was very loyal to one department store. I exclusively bought my clothes there because I thought they fit my style, the prices were good, and their location was convenient. Over the years, my style changed, and going to a mall to shop wasn't something I enjoyed doing very often anymore.

I wasn't alone. The way people shop for clothes has changed significantly over the past twenty years, and that has had a profound impact on several retailers across the country, one of them being JCPenney.

JCPenney once had over 30 stores in Idaho. Those numbers have dwindled over the years. After COVID and a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing, they closed three stores in Northern Idaho: Bonner Mall, Lewiston Shopping Center, and most recently Silverlake Mall. With those closings, Northern Idaho no longer has a JC Penney location to shop at. Only five locations remain, two of them in the Treasure Valley: Boise Town Square and the Happy Valley Road location in Nampa.

JCPenney has announced four more closings to happen before the end of 2025. Fortunately for Idahoans, those locations are Mobile, Alabama; Wichita Falls, Texas; Waterville, Maine; and Annapolis, Maryland.

This will bring JCPenney's store count down to 660 stores, a significant decrease from the 2,000 they once had open at their peak in 1973. While many major retailers have made the decision to close stores in the Boise area, at least for now, JC Penney will not be one of them.