Amid Pandemic, 18 Year Old Downtown Boise Restaurant Closes for Good

One day we'll get to see live concerts at The Knitting Factory again.  When we do, you'll have one less place to pre-game for the show. 

Looking back, St. Patty's Day 2020 was absolutely surreal. It fell on a Tuesday, so most revelers decked out and green and celebrated on Saturday, March 14. For those of you who've completely lost track of time, that was one day after a woman in Ada County became the first known case of COVID-19 in the state.

Knowing that Patient Zero likely contracted the virus while attending a conference in New York City, I still felt 100% comfortable going to the bars. Little did I know that was the last time we'd bounce around from Humpin' Hannahs to Brickyard to Grainey's without worrying about social distancing or masks.

By that Monday, Idaho was only reporting 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but Ada and Canyon County, along with most of the municipalities inside of them were declaring a state of emergency. That's when Ha'Penny in BoDo decided it was time to shut things down for at least a little while. Even when St. Patty's Day falls on a weekday, the Irish pub attracts a huge standing room only crowd. For the first time in 18 years, they locked the doors for the holiday.

They never reopened. And they never will. According to the Idaho Statesman, the closure is now permanent.

Unfortunately, Ha'Penny isn't the only business we've lost in Boise this year. Here's a look at some of the other businesses who have called it quits in 2020.