Penn State grad opens supplement shop in State College

Fitness and State College go hand in hand.

Business is booming with more than half of the gyms in the Centre Region having opened in the past five years.

Coalition Nutrition, a supplement shop, recently opened a store to complement local gyms, owner James Klemick said. He got into fitness as a teenager and joined the Penn State Powerlifting Club team as a student. He became coach and vice president of the team.

“Since I first stepped foot on Penn State’s campus I always wondered why there wasn’t a better option for the students and town residents to shop at,” Klemick said. “There are some corporate stores within a short drive, but there was never anything that offered what we do. We know what the people want, because we share the same hobby.”

The State College store has one full-time employee, Christina Pollock, who was on the powerlifting team with Klemick.

It is the third one-stop supplement shop Klemick has opened, the first two near Philadelphia. The 1,100-square-foot State College store is located at 426 E. College Ave. He plans to expand further but wants to focus on the company’s current stores.

He considered franchising a corporate business before opening his first store in 2014.

“I love the idea of franchising, (but) there was nothing worthwhile to franchise with when I started my company,” Klemick said. “No other stores really provide what we do, and that’s where we succeed. I’d rather have a less-known brand and products that I can stand behind, than having a corporate franchise of products I don’t truly believe in.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Penn State grad opens supplement shop in State College."