The Boise VandalStore located on Idaho Street, blocks away from the city capitol, has been serving the community with vandal spirit for 10 years.
Scott E. Smith, the Boise VandalStore manager and a University of Idaho alumni has been working at the store for little over nine years. He and alumni in the area have seen the store blossom and serve the Boise valley with vandal gear and a place to reminisce.
This week, the store will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with vigor and deals to enjoy.
Opening its doors August 2010, the VandalStore branched out of Moscow and established its Boise location. They are glad to be in the area, making UI visible along with other universities in the area.
In the area, UI has its satellite campus—the UI Water Center and extension offices. There is also a wealth of alumni that the store serves, Smith said.
“Without the VandalStore, I think the university is a lot less visible,” Smith said.
“We opened about 10 years ago in Boise and immediately I saw a huge amount of change in the amount of vandal gear.”
Smith has seen others wearing their vandal pride on their sleeves, cars and more.
The store serves potential students, alumni and vandals. It’s a lot easier for alumni, to come in than drive up to Moscow, and students come in to ask questions and learn about other’s time spent at UI, Smith said. The best part about the location is having students and alumni come in and reminisce about how awesome UI is, Smith said.
The community has a great relationship with the shop and does community events with the Alumni Association. The VandalStore participates in the First Thursday in downtown Boise and offers shopping events. During the summer they will do an alumni barbecue. At the same time, they will set up and sell items or have coupons in town. They also partner with Joe Vandal during the Saturday market which is in front of their stores. Joe Vandal will also come in and has his home base during the market, Smith said.
Through this week, the store will celebrate with deals throughout the whole store. They are doing 20% off the whole store and a gift with purchase. Those who spend over $75 will get a sticker and each purchase gets a free tote bag as well.
The store was planning a big celebration but shifted gears to fit safety guidelines that come with the COVID-19 pandemic. They didn’t want to have large crowds in at the same time and risk others getting sick.
“We’re excited to continue to serve the Boise and Treasure Valley, and be the spotlight for the university down here in downtown Boise,” Smith said.
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily _ A_ Pearce.