Spring Mills restaurant and wine bar holds soft opening

Food and wine have been intertwined since ancient times. In ancient Greece, poets and historians eulogized viniculture, ascribing nature’s nectar to specific deities. In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs used wines from the Nile Delta in ceremonies, and today hieroglyphs of grapevines still grace the surface of dusty wine jars.

The pairing persists at Sláinte Cafe and Hungry Run Wine and Spirits, a combined dining experience located at 430 Mountain Back Road in Spring Mills. The restaurant and wine bar held a soft opening last week and will hold an open house 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 24 and noon-5 p.m. Sept. 25. No official grand opening date has been set.

“It’s just another great venue with fantastic food and great wine and spirits,” said Katy Flood, the director of marketing for Hungry Run.

Chef Margherita Hannon, who runs Sláinte with her husband, Rex, said the kitchen is connected right to the dining area.

“You can watch me cook in the kitchen,” she said.

The Hannons also manage the catering and events site Marrara’s at Tussey a floor up. Margherita, a chef for about 25 years, has had her catering business for about a decade. She said opening Sláinte, a Gaelic term comparable to “cheers” in English, was just part of the plan.

“The busier I am, the better,” she said.

The cafe features locally-sourced ingredients spun with some international flair. Flood, who has sampled “a lot” of Hannon’s food over the past fortnight, recommended the salads, the ribeye and, her favorite, the Reuben.

There’s also an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak: Hannon’s parents both owned restaurants in the state’s largest city.

As for the wines, options abound. Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and more are available for tasting and purchase.

The restaurant and wine bar is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Forever 21 opens in the Nittany Mall

Forever 21, a fast-fashion retailer tailored to young adults, officially opened an Under 10 store in the Nittany Mall last week.

True to the name, everything in the store is $10 or under.

“Everyone wants to know when this promotion is ending, and it’s not,” said Lauren Lykens, an assistant manager. “It’s always going to be $10 or under as long as we’re open.”

The opening comes at a time when fast-fashion is slowing down. Retailers H&M and Urban Outfitters, direct competitors with Forever 21, reported weak returns in the second quarter — H&M’s sales growth was the weakest in three years, according to Bloomberg — and mall shopping continues to lose ground to the online marketplace. This is especially true for teens and young adults, who spend about five hours a day on their smartphones, according to research by British psychologists.

In State College, with its concentration of college-aged shoppers, recent openings run counter to the trend. H&M, for instance, plans to open a store in the downtown Fraser Centre by early October.

A corollary of the shift to online shopping, stores that do open brick-and-mortar locations tend to be smaller. In recent years, Forever 21 has looked to downsize its largest locations after problems arose in filling the spaces with merchandise. Target’s new store, which is opening alongside the Fraser Centre H&M in October, is a “flexible-format,” or smaller-scale store suited for urban areas.

Lykens said the Under 10 store is getting new shipments every day. The location held a job fair in August and has about 20 employees.

Kylertown contractor receives $8.9 million contract for work on Powderly Mine

Earthmovers Unlimited, a Kylertown contractor, has been awarded an $8.9 million contract for work done in June 2015 on the Powderly Mine, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced Wednesday.

The mine, located in Carbondale, has had an underground mine fire believed to be burning for decades. Earthmovers’ work on the 82-acre site will help extinguish the fire and with it, the harmful gases that represent public safety and health hazards.

The project is expected to take three years. According to a release, coal mining began on the site in the 1880s.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Spring Mills restaurant and wine bar holds soft opening."