Java and jams are planned for new State College coffee shop. When will it open?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Backstage Brewdio will open as a combined coffee shop and recording studio.
- Owners of the shop include key figures behind the local band My Hero Zero.
- Its owners hope to have the first-of-its-kind shop open by the end of 2026.
Something new is brewing in downtown State College.
A wide-ranging trio of local entertainment, music and business professionals are preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind coffee shop and recording studio at 117 Hiester St. as early as this fall. The concept, dubbed “Backstage Brewdio,” hopes to provide a home for caffeinated creatives and local artists alike.
Early concepts for a downtown recording studio originated from the Happy Valley Song Lab, an at-home recording studio launched by My Hero Zero frontman Jason Olcese and his partner, Angel Mariotti, who manages the band and works to support other artists. They founded their home studio at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020 to help support local musicians as live performances were no longer an option.
“It’s been a beautiful part of our lives. It brings artists into our home, and we get to have even more music in our lives than ever before — but there are limitations, and it’s not a long-term, sustainable thing,” Olcese told the Centre Daily Times, adding he often needed to tiptoe in his own home to avoid disturbing an active studio.
Inside the ‘brewdio’
Olcese and Mariotti maintained an interest in expanding the Happy Valley Song Lab beyond their home for years and separately held interest in opening a coffee shop. Those concepts spontaneously merged when Mariotti and another business partner, Ramona Schatzer, were evaluating a Calder Way commercial space for an in-development restaurant concept and learned the basement beneath it was available, too.
Locals might recognize the basement as the former home of the Hopshop Beer Market, whose cooler space remains intact with glass doors, existing decor and soundproofed walls fit for recording music. The unique, tucked-away space is a great fit for the concept, its owners said.
“It’s very warm,” said Schatzer, an artist who’s painted murals professionally for 30 years. “It feels like a hidden gem when people walk down there, and we haven’t really decorated it yet. The existing finishings are fantastic. It feels almost as if you’re on a cobblestone street somewhere.”
Though a basement might not seem typical for a coffee shop, Backstage Brewdio’s team says the location should fit the concept with ease.
“For me, it’s very inviting toward allowing creativity and collaboration to flow without the outside noise seeping through,” Mariotti said.
Plans for Backstage Brewdio’s coffee lineup, including its sourcing, remain in development, but its owners hope to create an accessible menu that’s more “caffeine-centric” than just coffee. Future customers can likely count on soda-type beverages, refreshers and lattes, among other options.
Backstage Brewdio will open with a split concept that runs a coffee shop by day and a recording studio by night, as the typical closing times for coffee shops between 4-7 p.m. are prime hours for musicians, Olcese said. Keeping the concepts separate could help new customers avoid confusion and allow them to explore the unique space.
“We want people to be able to sit in the music studio,” Olcese said. “During the day, they’ll be able to take a coffee and sit down in the space where music happens and soak in that environment. I think it’s a magical space. People might feel inspired there or even use it as a study spot.”
Demand for more studio time during the day (or coffee offerings in the evening) could lead Backstage Brewdio to revise that model as the concept finds its footing. Though live music in the space is not a priority at this time, its owners said the dual-purpose venue could one day collaborate with Manny’s Live Performance Space, with which it shares a back hallway.
Coming full circle
Developing Backstage Brewdio has been a long time coming for its team.
A 2006 Penn State graduate, Olcese fondly recalls jamming on his acoustic guitar outside what’s now a Yallah Taco on College Avenue, right across from Atherton Hall. He grew to perform local shows with My Hero Zero for nearly two decades and, while playing at the former Saloon, often took set breaks in the hallway that will soon be part of his own recording studio.
“It feels like the next right step,” Olcese said of opening Backstage Brewdio. “I went from playing on the street to playing inside bars, and now I want to be part of bringing forward more of a community aspect for all kinds of creative people who don’t always find their homes in this area. I feel the need for that kind of space, and I want to help make it happen.”
“I’m getting to see these spaces again in a whole new chapter of my life,” he added.
Working to open Backstage Brewdio has been a learning experience for its team, which is largely new to running brick-and-mortar locations. Schatzer, who co-owns a Playa Bowls franchise in State College, has helped lend expertise to the new venture.
The team is planning a fall opening for Backstage Brewdio, but launching it by the end of 2026 would still be a win, Schatzer said. The hope, she added, is to run well-supported, sustainable operations from the first day in business.
“We are, basically, creating new worlds for ourselves, new sandboxes for us to play in, with people that we love,” Schatzer said. “We have a lot of connections out there and a lot of knowledge, but we’re creating what we want to see in the world and haven’t found. It’s an extension of us, and it’s all heart: our love letter to caffeine and creativity.”
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