Local art and gift shop to trade Nittany Mall for downtown State College location
Options at the Nittany Mall are set to be thinner, as Emporium Market plans to close Friday and reopen in downtown State College, the shop’s co-owner said Monday.
The local, homemade art and gift store plans to open at 240 E. Calder Way in March, K.C. Peck said. He and his wife, Aimee Conklin, opened their mall location in October 2017.
“The unfortunate reality is the traffic at the mall and the public impression of the mall has declined, especially with even more stores closing and nothing concrete coming in,” Peck said. “It’s time to move on and time to go where we have a bigger audience.”
The mall location is scheduled to be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Friday. Peck and Conklin then plan to “modernize” their State College location during February.
The business first signed a three-month lease at the mall as a holiday store, but that evolved into a longer stay after a successful quarter. About six local artists sold their products at the store at the time, but that number rose to about 90, Peck said.
Mall general manger Polly Welch did not respond Tuesday to request for comment.
“It’s very mixed emotions. It’s sad to be breaking down this project because it evolved, it grew and it really became something cool, so to watch the room empty out as consigners have been picking up their things is unsettling,” Peck said. “At the same time, to know that we are not failing and we are not closing, but we are growing and moving, is super exciting.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.