Nittany Mall looks to evict business over unpaid rent. ‘It’s time for me to go,’ owner says
The Nittany Mall sought a court order Wednesday that would allow it to evict a pet store it says is nearly $20,000 behind on its bills, the latest move in a business relationship that soured.
The shopping center asked a Centre County judge for help to evict Finatics Aquarium & Pet Center, writing in a court document the business owes more than $19,000 in rent, as well as $800 for a storage area.
A more than 30-minute conversation Thursday with owner Jeff Bailey gave some insight into the pair’s cracked relationship, one that began in 2016. The tenor of the conversation did not make it seem as if Bailey plans to fight tooth and nail to remain in the mall.
“It’s time for me to go,” Bailey said. “It’s been time for me to go.”
A letter sent from the mall in December gave the business 10 days to catch up on its payments, but an attorney wrote Finatics “failed and refused.”
Rent for the two spaces is $1,600 per month. The 10-year lease is set to expire Aug. 31, 2026.
“Dealing with them, it’s just who they are. ... It’s what they do,” Bailey said. “They would rather see the mall completely empty than adjust a lease.”
He later added: “They don’t really care about the little guy like me. They just want their money.”
A message left Thursday with the commercial real estate investment group that owns the mall was not immediately returned.
Finatics, Bailey said, is one of eight retail stores in the mall. He said dozens of businesses closed or left the mall since he opened, making it more difficult to get new customers.
“You can’t pay your bills if no one is coming through the front door,” Bailey said. “It’s just that simple.”
Bailey hoped to sell the business so he could care for several family members with health issues, he posted on Facebook in July. It remained Finatics’ most recent post on the world’s most popular social network as of Thursday.
The retail side of the business made more than $200,000 annually, Bailey wrote in the post.
“I’ve already fought with them forever and a day to say,” Bailey said. “What’s the point (in fighting anymore)?”
Finatics remains open in the mall, and Bailey did not say when the business would close.