Karcher Mall

Karcher Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Nampa, Idaho, U.S.. The mall opened in August 1965 with Buttrey Food & Drug, Rasco-Tempo, and Skaggs Drug Centers as anchor stores. The mall was the largest shopping center in the Treasure Valley until 1988 when the Boise Towne Square Mall was opened in Boise. The new mall directed traffic away for the Karcher Mall and several retailers, including 20-year-old anchor JCPenney, departed the mall to move to Boise. Since then, the mall has been sold to numerous owners, each of which attempted to revitalize the mall to mixed results. Today, the mall has 28 stores, including anchor stores Burlington Coat Factory, Discount Furniture, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Ross Dress for Less, and is owned by Milan Properties, Inc.

History

Daum Industries began construction on a former alfalfa field located at the intersection of Karcher Road and U.S. Highway 30 in 1963. The mall was completed and opened on August 26, 1965 with anchor stores Buttrey Food & Drug, Rasco-Tempo, and Skaggs Drug Centers. During 1967, Daum Industries persuaded JCPenney to open a department store at the two-year-old shopping center. In March 1967, construction on a $3.5 million expansion of the shopping mall began, with a finish date set for March 1968. The new expansion added 259,000-square-foot (24,100 m²) of new retail space to the shopping center, including the new two-level JCPenney store. Following the opening of the new Karcher Mall store, JCPenney shuttered four nearby stores in downtown Nampa, Caldwell, Emmett, and Payette.