By relocating to a larger space, this Bellefonte shop plans to expand offerings
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- Smith & Front is moving to a new store at 126 S. Allegheny St. in Bellefonte.
- The new store more than triples the available space at its Gamble Mill location.
- Expanded offerings at the downtown store include new gifts and hands-on plant services.
A Bellefonte gift shop plans to expand its offerings by moving to a larger downtown location this fall.
Smith & Front will open at 126 S. Allegheny St. in September after previously operating out of the Gamble Mill along the Bellefonte Waterfront. By more than tripling its available space, the new shop is expected to offer a wider range of gifts and services for customers.
Owner Staci Egan says the new storefront along Allegheny Street provides an escape from future development along the Bellefonte Waterfront, where approved plans call for a six-story boutique hotel, a parking garage, condominium units and more. Egan expressed some excitement for the project but noted its long-awaited development would have likely affected her business if it remained at the Gamble Mill.
“I love the Mill, but space is limited,” Egan told the Centre Daily Times. “A few years of construction would really impact that specific location, but I don’t need to worry about that as much here. Everyone at the Mill has different hours than me, too, so it’s nice to be surrounded by businesses that are running more similarly to me.”
Smith & Front will continue offering what Egan calls a wide range of “snarky and sassy” gifts, as well as greeting cards and candles. She plans to use expanded retail space to offer more options, including food-related gifts like jellies and preserves, Pennsylvania-made products and essentials for houseplants.
The new Bellefonte store offers around 1800 square feet between retail space and back rooms — a significant jump up from the roughly 550 total square feet available at the Gamble Mill, Egan said. More available space will give Smith & Front room to provide additional services, including an area at the back of the store where customers can pot their own plants and build their own planters.
“I’m always trying to think of what isn’t being offered here and how I can stand out,” Egan said. “If someone’s walking around, I want to make sure my place looks different than everyone else’s. I want to be that special spot offering something that isn’t around here.”
Egan said she’s targeting a grand opening for her new shop around Sept. 20, the same weekend as Penn State football’s bye week. The Gamble Mill location has already closed for business, though Egan is still working to clear out the space and move her inventory to he new shop.
A number of local vendors — including Hollidaysburg’s Lightning Bug Gift Co. and State College’s Teaberry Design Company — will offer their own products inside the store, Egan said. The nearby Shaky Hands Coffee Shop will even offer half-off drink coupons to those who visit Smith & Front’s new store during its opening weekend, she said.
Egan, who moved her business from Philipsburg to the Gamble Mill in 2021, said support from other Bellefonte-area business owners has greatly helped her get her new shop up and running.
“It’s true anywhere, but when you first get here, there are already cliques,” Egan said. “It’s kind of hard to ‘get in.’ But now, we have a business group with around 24 of us where we talk about doing things together and how we can help each other out, different events we want to put on.”
“Bellefonte is always where I saw potential,” she continued. “We’re on the cusp of something really incredible, and I see so much growth in this area specifically. I’m amazed by how many people offered me help, even some especially backbreaking labor I couldn’t offer in return. This is an incredible place.”
Though her plans aren’t yet set in stone, Egan said she’s considering having Smith & Front’s new store open daily. Hours would likely run from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with reduced operations on Sundays.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 1:39 PM.
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