Sercy in State College to close

Sercy in downtown State College will close in April.

It’s time, co-owners Christina and Rob Monzillo said, to close at the end of their lease and to dedicate more time to family.

“We’ve had a great experience, an awesome experience,” Christina Monzillo said. “Now, for us, it’s time to take a break. We’ve dedicated a lot of evenings, weekends and holidays to the store. One of us was always there, and we want to spend more of that time with our family now.”

The Monzillos operated the space for 16 years as Access before it became known as Sercy.

They changed the business name and model, and did interior renovations to the store in the summer of 2014, closing the store for five weeks of remodeling.

“Sercy, it’s a South tradition,” Christina Monzillo told the CDT in September 2014. “It’s a just-because-I-love-you gift.”

The name change was connected to the store’s new style, which included the women’s clothing it has always been known for. It added clothing for female college-age students, plus gifts and accessories.

“We accomplished our goals of servicing people living here and the students that shopped here,” Christina Monzillo said. “We specialized in denim and became popular through that and then rebranded to Sercy to add gifts and more products that were different than what everyone else had. We had a lot of positive, wonderful support.”

It’s possible that they would open a smaller store, but have no plans for one.

Christina Monzillo will launch Zillo Clean, a residential cleaning business, with Susan Barnes by April. They are taking applications in Sercy. The new business’s website, zilloclean.com, is developing.

They will also unveil spring merchandise after Feb. 14 to “keep the store fresh” until its closure.

“We just want to thank everyone who has supported us and made this a great experience,” Christina Monzillo said.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Sercy in State College to close."