Shops, restaurants and more: Here’s what businesses opened this year in Centre County
More than two dozen businesses opened during the past 12 months in Centre County, a year defined by unparalleled challenges for small business owners.
Most opened in the Centre or Nittany Valley regions, with downtown State College and Bellefonte leading the way.
For many, opening their doors meant operating with restrictions in place and at limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Breaking even felt like a success to some.
But still, some business owners stayed optimistic.
“It is heartbreaking so many places have been forced to close down but, to be able to open up and offer something to customers during a really challenging time, it’s a positive,” By A Thread owner Emily Boone told the Centre Daily Times last month.
For Afsheen Mirza, who opened Cafe Alina with her husband Asam this summer, a slower opening process allowed them to better refine their concept.
“Although we weren’t able to open in the way we had envisioned, with a soft opening followed by a grand opening, we were able to use that time to contribute and get fully involved in the community via free meals,” she told the CDT in June.
There are more than one million small businesses in Pennsylvania, which make up about 99.6% of all businesses in the Keystone State, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy.
Nearly 3.3 million new businesses opened nationwide as of September, a 27% increase over the same period last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here’s a look at some of the businesses that opened in 2020:
Arts
Board & Brush, 2766 W. College Ave., State College
Clothing
By A Thread, 135 W. High St., Bellefonte
Lock Boutique, 136 W High St., Bellefonte
Uptown Cheapskate, 176 Rolling Ridge Drive, State College
Convenience store
Rutter’s, 731 Rishel Hill Road, Bellefonte
Food & drink
Auntie Anne’s, Carvel and Cinnabon, 324 E. College Ave., State College
Axemann Brewery, 2042 Axemann Road, Bellefonte
Big D’s Cones and Shakes, 509 Dell St., Milesburg
Cafe Alina, 421 E. Calder Way, State College
Central Reservation, 101 E. Beaver Ave., State College
Crust & Crumb Cafe, 115 E. Beaver Ave., State College
IngleBean Ice Cream, 108 Main St., Millheim
Mercato Mio, 1221 E. College Ave., State College
My Cafe Buzz, 325 W. High St., Bellefonte
Pine Grove Hall, 101 E. Pine Grove Road, Pine Grove Mills
URBN Flavourhaus, 205 Park Place, Bellefonte
Weirdoughs Custom Pizzeria, 204 E. College Ave., State College
Yallah Taco, 310 E. College Ave., State College
Hotel
We are Inn, 1535 Port Matilda Highway, Philipsburg
Makerspace
The Rivet, 1224 N. Atherton St., State College
Markets
Belle Mercantile, 135 S. Spring St., Bellefonte
Titan Market, 2022 Axemann Road, Bellefonte
Pet shop
The Pet Pub, 507 Benner Pike, State College
Salons
New Wave Salon, 118 N. Allegheny St., Bellefonte
Black Diamond Barber Parlor, 224 W. High St., Bellefonte
Sporting goods
National Sporting Arms, 355 Colonnade Boulevard, State College
Laurel Optics, 104 S. 4th St., Snow Shoe
Sports
Climb Nittany, 328 Discovery Drive, Boalsburg
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 7:00 AM.