New pizza place in State College, closure of Nittany Mall store & more August business news

August was a busy month for business news, with several companies opening or announcing plans for new locations in Centre County. There are new places to eat, work and more.

Here’s a look at what happened in the past month:

What’s new

• The county seat welcomed a new spot for remote workers. Gavel and Quill, a new coworking space, has opened at 111 E. High St., Suite 2, across from the county courthouse in Bellefonte. The space hosts two weekly networking events for members, local businesses and the community. During Good Morning Coffee, at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays, participants can discuss their projects over free, freshly brewed coffee. For Friday Salad Club, at noon Fridays, participants are asked to bring a salad ingredient to share. Attendees can create a salad from the available items and talk about their ingredient and what took place during the week. The space is open to drop-ins from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. For more information, visit www.gavelquill.com.
• Philly cheesesteak shop Campus Steaks opened at 119 S. Pugh St. in State College, the former location of Bradley’s Cheesesteaks & Hoagies.
• Your Cigar Den held a grand opening for its shop at 355 Colonnade Blvd. in Patton Township. The business operates a second location at 127 S. Fraser St. in downtown State College.
• 8 Mile Pizza, which serves Detroit-style pizza, opened its doors at 300 S. Pugh St. in downtown State College.

Business plans

• Dollar General is building its fourth Bellefonte-area store. The home goods retailer plans to open a location at 586 E. College Ave. this fall.
• Pizza Hut is moving its State College location to Hills Plaza. The restaurant, set to open this fall, will replace the one at 760 S. Atherton St. The new store will offer only delivery and carryout.
• LandPro Equipment, an authorized John Deere dealer, plans to move from 2818 Earlystown Road to the intersection of U.S. Route 322 and Summer Lane in Potter Township.
• Wawa is looking at a potential location at 169 W. Aaron Drive in Ferguson Township. The company is planning its first Centre County store in Benner Township.
• Hive Dispensary plans to open at 1612 N. Atherton St. in Ferguson Township, which would make it Centre County’s fifth medical marijuana dispensary.

A new decision

In State College, Borough Council reversed its decision to pursue eminent domain at 219 E. Beaver Ave. for a parking garage after public outcry. The property is home to The Brewery, Canyon Pizza, Canyon Wings and Music Mart.

Closing their doors

• Journeys, a retail chain that focuses on youth culture, closed its Nittany Mall location in late July after more than 23 years in business.
• URBN Flavourhaus closed its Park Place restaurant in Bellefonte after more than three years.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 6:00 AM.