We are now located at 409 S. 8th Street #205 in Boise, ID 83702. I enjoy working out of old building with history and character, and my new office in the Foster Building is great! I will update this page with more info about my new office location over time. I am leaving the old shop information below just for histories sake.
Old Location Information
We used to be located in a historic boarding house in Downtown Boise at 512 W Idaho St. Our suite is just inside the front door to the right, so you can’t miss us! Be sure to setup an appointment if you know when you would like to come by. Just click the red appointment button on the left of the window to setup your drop-off or pick-up appointment. If you are nearby and see that we are in the shop, feel free to come on in! Because we offer onsite Mac repair (at clients homes and offices), there is a chance we will not be in the shop if you don’t have an appointment setup.
Below are some modern day shots of the building to help you recognize it when you arrive, historical pictures of the building, and some historical information about the Star Rooming House.
Location Photos and Videos
Need help figuring out where we are in Downtown Boise based on other landmarks? You have come to the right place! See below for photos of our location and shop space.
If you are heading east on the Idaho Street sidewalk, this is the view that will greet you of our building. Note the Flying M coffee shop just past our building.
Above is a picture of our front window. You can easily see the window from the street with our logo displayed, so keep an eye out as you pass the Flying M on Idaho.
When you first walk through the front door into the building, you make an immediate right to enter our unit (STE 103). Our unit’s door is impossible to miss as it is so close to the entry way. If you don’t have an appointment and the door is locked, that usually means we are out at an appointment at someones home or office. If the door is unlocked or open, please feel free to come in even without an appointment.
This is the old view outside our front window facing south-east from when we first moved into this location. Now most of the view is taken up with construction equipment (as of Late 2017). The new constructions is supposedly going to be a multi story apartment building with some green space through the middle. It will also house retail and restaurant shops at the base level.
This image is of the view facing south-west on Idaho street looking toward the center of downtown.
History
We are fortunate to have our Mac repair and data recovery shop located in a building incredibly rich with history. Here you can find some information regarding the Star Rooming House (512 W Idaho St). We really enjoy learning about the history of places like this, so if you have additional information or old photos of this building, please contact us if you are willing to have us share them on this page!
Above is a photo of two children in a car right in front of our building! Notice the door in the picture is the same door that is currently on the building. Just think how many people have opened that door over the last 100+ years. You can also see the original window to the right of the door where HippieTechs is located currently. We now have a fancy bay window instead of the standard window pictured, but that is the exact room that we are in currently.
This photo appears to show our unit (to the right of the front door) having a bay window that is older than the unit to the left of the front door. Also, you can note that the main entrance continues to feature the same door that is currently in place today.
The following is a typed copy of what is pictured above in the image for your convenience.
The Star Rooming House
Uberuaga-Aguirre House
The smells of shoe leather and chorizos mingled in the air as tenants at the star rooming house repaired to go about their day. Built in 1895, The Star was among Boise’s first Basque boarding houses and accommodated up to thirty boarders at a time. Original owners, Jose “Arotza” and Felipa (Guarrochena) Uberuaga opened their boarding house in 1903, and in 1911 constructed a canopy-covered Basque handball court (fronton). The front wall ran adjacent to the alley and firemen from teh nearby station often climbed the wall on the west side to watch the games. Remnants of the walls are still evident today.
The Star was part of an extensive Basque settlement in the area o the city with numerous homes, rooming houses, and a Basque language church (Church of the Good Shepherd at 420 W. Idaho). Many Basque herders lived in boarding houses such as The Star during the winter months. Francisco “Zapatero” Aguirre and his wife Gabina (Goitia) owned and operated The Store from 1915 until 1972 where Francisco ran a shoe store and repair shop out of the building’s front porch and Gabina managed the daily operations of the business. Francisco and Gabina’s long-term possession of the property led to its being referred to as the “Aguirre House”.
The property underwent restoration in 1973 and subsequently ended its status as a boarding house. It has since been owned by other businesses, and although the interior has been remodeled and enhanced over the years, the exterior has retained most of its original appearance.
The Star Rooming House is listen the National Register of Historic Places
Sponsored by: Basque Museum & Cultural Center, BSU Basque Studies Center, Idaho Humanities Council, Cenarrusa Foundation for Basque Culture
You can find 512 W Idaho (The Star Rooming House) in the 1895 section of this Idaho State Historical Society document.
The building is #12 on the Basque Boise Walking Tour as you can see in this PDF hosted by Boise State.
The Star Rooming House building is even featured in The Basque Mural which is located in Downtown Boise east off S. Capitol Blvd across from the Boise Grove Hotel. Here is a great resource of information about the Basque Mural from Boise State.