Japanese restaurant coming soon to downtown State College

A new restaurant is under construction and will open soon in downtown State College.

Kondu, which originated in Harrisburg, will find its second home in Happy Valley.

The new eatery will bring Japanese cuisine to 132 S. Allen St., next to the recently opened Amazon store. Kondu will take the place of Aurum Jewelers and Goldsmiths, which closed in January after more than two decades in business.

Kondu’s Harrisburg location opened in September and offers bubble tea, gyoza, chicken teppanyaki and sushi burritos, which are served in a fast food fashion. Gyoza is a pan-fried dumpling, and teppanyaki is a Japanese form of grilling on iron. The sushi burritos include non-seafood options, such as grilled steak and chicken.

The eatery’s owner, Ricky Chen, has told media outlets in Harrisburg to think of Kondu as “the Japanese version of Chipotle or Panera Bread.”

Temporary signage has been removed from the building’s facade to renovate the South Allen Street storefront and to post permanent signage. The temporary signage said the restaurant would “open soon.”

The eatery has not made any announcements on an opening date and ownership has not responded to requests for comment.

Duck Donuts opening in State College

If you have a sweet tooth, the good news is that Duck Donuts will be in State College.

It’s not bad news, but you’ll have to wait a little bit longer than this summer.

Duck Donuts plans to open in the late fall, likely in November, according to company spokeswoman Kristin Kellum. The company announced on a Facebook page specific to the State College location that the made-to-order doughnuts would be “coming soon.”

Kellum said the company typically “creates a buzz” in the months prior to opening through the use of social media and added that the response to the announcement was a positive indication that the doughnut shop will do well.

“We look for densely populated areas and cater to the millennial snackers, ages 18 to 34 years old, so students, office heroes picking up donuts for everyone and families,” Kellum said.

There are no plans for a second location in State College.

The new doughnut shop will employ 40 to 45 people.

Duck Donuts at 125 S. Fraser St. will have inside and outside seating.

Expo changes ownership, access

The Entrepreneurial Women’s Expo has a new owner after Jessica Dolan founded and ran the event for eight years.

Custom Stuff owner Elizabeth Stephenson is the new owner and director of the expo, which will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 4 at Celebration Hall. The expo typically attracts about 150 businesswomen, though a new wrinkle in plans include public access to the exhibit hall without charge.

“This part of the event being open to the public will allow exhibitors more exposure and visitors more time to learn about those represented and entrepreneurship in the region,” Stephenson said.

There are usually about 30 exhibitors at the event, and there will be at least be seven speakers at the expo.

A wine expo will be held after the event, in which attendees are supposed to “come as you will be in five years,” which Stephenson said is an empowering technique to motivate entrepreneurs and future business leaders.

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 9:58 PM with the headline "Japanese restaurant coming soon to downtown State College."