Chick-fil-A temporarily closed, several Centre County businesses opened. What you need to know
A chicken restaurant opened in State College, while another closed temporarily for renovations. An airline ended service from University Park, while a few businesses announced plans to open this summer in downtown locations.
Here’s a look at the Centre County businesses that made news in June.
Openings
- Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers opened at 228 E. College Ave. in downtown State College. The restaurant has seating for about 110 people.
- Thread Baby Boutique, a baby and toddler boutique, opened at 135 W. High St. in Bellefonte. After owner Emily Boone moved her women’s clothing shop, By A Thread, to a larger location, she decided to use the original space for her new business.
Kish Bank plans to open a branch in Pine Grove Mills in early July. The branch will be at the former site of Riverview Bank, 511 E. Pine Grove Road. It will be the bank’s 19th location overall and the fifth in Centre County.
- Way Fruit Farm announced plans to open a second store in downtown State College in late July. The two-story space at 252 E. Calder Way will feature fresh produce, a bakery and a small kitchen that will serve meals.
- The Squirrel and Acorn Bookshop announced it will hold a grand opening in August in downtown State College. The locally owned bookstore will be at 103 S. Allen St., the former location of The Animal Kingdom.
Mosquito Shield of State College is in its first season treating properties for mosquitoes and ticks and serves areas including State College, Bellefonte, Centre Hall and Port Matilda. For more information, call 814-759-5511 or visit moshield.com.
Changes
- Chick-fil-A at Happy Valley, 1938 N. Atherton St., closed in mid-June for renovations. Construction is expected to last about three months and include an expansion of the kitchen and addition of a second drive-thru lane.
- Allegiant Air suspended service from University Park Airport. The airline began flying from State College in 2019 to a pair of destinations in Florida. “Demand has not returned to pre-pandemic levels,” a spokesperson said.
- The Centre County United Way relocated its office from Pine Grove Mills to downtown State College. The organization moved to its new space at 131 S. Fraser St., Suite 3, because it is a more central location and offers more growth opportunities.
- Ferguson Township has updated its zoning rules to allow food trucks to operate in parks and rights-of-way in the municipality.
Promotions and appointments
- AccuWeather named Helen Swenson as chief content officer. Swenson previously was vice president of content at NY1 Spectrum News and has more than two decades of experience in content development, strategic programming and production. She will lead strategy for content initiatives across multiple platforms.
- Claudia Natanson, AccuWeather vice president of information security, has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II. Natanson received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the queen’s jubilee honors list for her contributions to cybersecurity. MBE is the third highest ranking Order of the British Empire award.
- AccuWeather’s Kurt Fulepp has been promoted to president of digital, while Brian Baker will fill Fulepp’s previous position, chief product and design officer. Fulepp will report to President Steven Smith, and Baker will report to Fulepp. “Kurt and Brian are well-respected leaders within AccuWeather and to our external partners, having played a vital role in orchestrating and executing on our aggressive and innovative digital product roadmap,” Smith said in a statement.
Recognition
Downtown Bellefonte Inc. has been recognized as an Affiliate Main Street America program. Affiliate programs are recognized for their use of “preservation-based economic development and community revitalization,” the group said. DBI has recently focused on issues such as attracting remote workers, wayfinding signage, and business recruitment and retention.