Downtown Nampa, ID, Finds New Life in Its History

Jeff Adkins

The mission of Clayton Borah’s business is to change lives. “Timber & Steel is a gym for people who want structure and accountability to improve their health and fitness,” he says. 

Borah’s work mirrors what’s happening in his neighborhood. Timber & Steel occupies a downtown Nampa building that he and his wife, Bridgett, remodeled in 2018.

It’s one of several businesses pumping new energy into Nampa. “Downtown is full of possibility, and with new renovations and construction, the potential for new businesses to open is greater than ever,” he says. 

Borah has lived in Nampa his entire life. He’s so passionate about his hometown that he’s also chairman of the Downtown Nampa Association, which produces events, provides resources for promotional and educational purposes, and represents downtown businesses in interactions with city planning and development. 

“Nampa’s story started in 1883 with the expansion of the Oregon Short Line Railway,” says Rebecca Stentz, chair of the Arts & Historic Preservation Commission. “We were just one of many little towns sprouting up along the route. The rail stop brought a need for commerce, so our downtown – where the historic 1903 train depot still stands today – became filled with banks, shops, laundries, gold traders, hotels, outdoor trading markets and more.” 

Jeff Adkins

A Neighborhood Hot Spot 

Today, Nampa’s modern transformation retains the city’s time-honored character while welcoming the future. “Historic preservation isn’t about living in the past or being stale,” Stentz says. “It’s about carrying forward Nampa’s legacy for years to come.” 

Shayna and Andrew Randall are two forward-thinking entrepreneurs adding their tasty touch to downtown. They’ve been in Idaho for 20 years and own 14 Dutch Bros coffee locations in the west Treasure Valley. 

“We decided to open a restaurant, and we knew downtown Nampa was up and coming,” Shayna Randall says. “We wanted to be a part of making this area really cool.” 

In 2018, the couple started restoring a 1904 building that had been a bookstore. “It was in terrible shape,” Randall says. “We removed plaster walls and reinforced everything. We added a new HVAC and fire sprinklers. It was a lot of work and trial and error.” 

The Randalls kept the building’s original brick and hardwood and installed glass roll-up doors to give the redo a lighter feel. They also put in a kitchen and finally, Mesa Tacos and Tequila opened in January 2019. 

“Our vision is more of a social dining experience. We have a community table that seats 22 and a great customer base who’ve met here and become friends,” Randall says. “Our goal was creating something Nampa could be really proud of.” 

Jeff Adkins

The Sweet Side of Restoration 

Stella’s Ice Cream is another downtown business that’s become a huge hit. “When I was growing up in Nampa, there really wasn’t a community gathering spot for high school kids,” says Chad Hartley, founder and owner of Stella’s. “So, I wanted to give them a neighborhood ice cream shop.” 

His refurbished building was once a Cadillac dealership, and his store used to be the service area. When Hartley began considering the space for Stella’s, the building had been vacant for some 20 years. 

Although the exterior had been redone, inside “it was still dirt floor and cinderblock. We undertook a complete renovation,” he says. 

The original Stella’s opened downtown in 2018. Today, Hartley has grown his business to 16 U.S. locations, including nine in Idaho. 

“What downtown was really missing was private investment, and over the past 15 years, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in that,” Borah says. “It’s changed how downtown looks and feels.” 

Driven by a mix of revitalizations and new developments, the area’s transformation is rapidly gaining momentum. 

“Downtown Nampa is a safe and growing area that’s charming, historic and walkable,” Stentz says.

“People are drawn to historic districts,” she adds. “The aged brick, original windows and classic storefronts create a visual richness that makes downtown feel real and rooted rather than generic.”