‘Freshened’ Irving’s to reopen this week

It’ll be the same food, but a new look when Irving’s Bakery Cafe reopens at 7 a.m. Monday.

“It’s going to be quite different. We completely changed the flow of the store around,” said David Schoenholtz, who owns the business with wife, Marya, and his brother Jack.

The store will mark 20 years in business this year, with 10 at its current location at 110 E. College Ave. It’s known for its homemade bagels and breads, sandwiches, and drinks such as espressos and smoothies.

“We get a lot of traffic in the store, and it really needed to be refurbished,” David Schoenholtz said.

Plans to just “freshen” the store quickly snowballed into a complete remodel, he said.

The restaurant closed right after Christmas, and a rush of work began to update the facility — complete with efforts to be eco-friendly, including sunflower seed paneling, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and reuse of materials such as tiles, said Marya Schoenholtz.

There are new colors: Mingled with Irving’s signature purple is a green and a soft brown. And the original floor, dating to the 1920s, has been updated using a technique called pickling, which colored it gray.

The facelift includes a new layout, with the sandwich counter and preparation areas moved to the front of the restaurant. Registers and the espresso and smoothie station have been moved to the back to create better flow.

“We wanted it open so our customers can see this action here,” she said.

There will be a dedicated — and expanded — retail space, she said. Coffees, teas will be situated next to a refrigerator case with to-go items such as salads, sandwiches and snacks, including veggies and dip and cheese platters.

As if one big project wasn’t enough for 2008, Irving’s has plans to open a new location at the University Park Airport in late spring or early summer.

That location will feature similar offerings, such as espresso, sandwiches and smoothies.

I’ll share more details on this as they surface. New sports publication

Kenny Varner wears many hats these days — and he couldn’t be happier.

He’s writer, composer and delivery boy when it comes to his new magazine, “Hometown Sports Scene,” which made its debut on Tuesday.tbonner 1/16/08 Jan. 15

The monthly magazine looks to build on sports coverage in Centre and Mifflin counties, from the Little League games to high school athlete accomplishments and milestones.

“We just want to add to it,” he said of the local sports coverage. The goal is to write nothing but “positive stories about kids.”

The first issue, at 32 pages, includes pieces on the Bellefonte and State College high school football seasons, the Juniata Valley Football League and a tribute to Joe Paterno for his entry into the college football Hall of Fame.

Varner also said he’s working on getting credentials and permissions to cover Penn State sports and the State College Spikes.

It’s a vision turned reality for Varner and his partners Lisa Blood and John Espigh. Among them, all angles of business are covered, including advertising, photography and the financials.

“I’d been thinking about wanting to do a local magazine for a couple years but just never ventured out,” he said.

In State College, the magazine can be found at the Student Book Store and T’s Custom Printing. In the Bellefonte area, it can be found at Cafe on the Park, Lykens Market, Parrish Apothecary Shop and Fillmore General Store.

Ideas and information can be shared at editorhometownsportsscene@yahoo.com or by calling Varner at 717-994-9070.

Nominees sought

Do you know a stellar local businesswoman?

Here’s your chance to give her some recognition for her professional accomplishments — that includes community involvement and advocacy for women in business as well.

The Department of Community and Economic Development is accepting nominations for the 13th annual Best 50 Women in Business awards until Feb. 7. Candidates should be senior executive, management-level women with significant authority in a for-profit company. That list includes, board chairwomen, company presidents, owners and others who work or live in the state.

There are some exceptions though. Candidates can’t have been named to the list previously, represent nonprofit organizations, or be an elected official, part of the judicial branch or a political appointee.

For full nomination guidelines, log onto www.newpa.com and look for the “Best 50 Women in Business” link. It’s near the bottom of the page.

Jennifer Thomas can be reached at 231-4638.