Sandwich shop, phone carrier store sign leases for former Bellefonte Rite Aid building
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- Both Verizon and Jersey Mike’s have signed leases, though opening dates are unclear.
- Dunkin’ franchisees hope to open an 1,848-square-foot shop in late 2026.
- Cedar Cliff Properties bought the building for $1.5 million in 2025 and will redevelop it.
With two more leases signed, redevelopment plans for a former Bellefonte pharmacy continue to take shape.
A Verizon store and a Jersey Mike’s sandwich shop will join a small shopping plaza planned for the former Rite Aid building at 821 E. Bishop St., according to Kandy Weader of Bennett Williams Commercial Real Estate. Both have signed leases, though their planned opening dates remain unclear.
The two tenants operated at the Bishop Street location alongside a Dunkin’, which previously agreed to lease the 1,848-square-foot end cap space on the building’s western side. The franchisees, who already operate another Dunkin’ along Benner Pike, hope to open the shop in the second half of 2026.
“This strong tenant mix continues to showcase the growth and momentum happening to the Bellefonte and State College market,” Weader wrote in a Facebook post.
The Jersey Mike’s planned for the shopping plaza will occupy a 1,694-square-foot space between the Dunkin’ and the Verizon store. The latter will move into a 1,713-square-foot space, following plans for the multi-tenant redevelopment of the property presented to Bellefonte’s borough council in January.
A 2,054-square-foot space intended for a food and beverage establishment remains up for grabs, as well as a 5,800-square-foot space at the building’s rear that is expected to be used as a fitness center. Tenants for those spaces have not yet been identified for the property, which has sat empty since closing as a Rite Aid in 2023.
Cedar Cliff Properties, used by local Jersey Mike’s franchisees Matt and Christie Patterson to open new locations, purchased the building for $1.5 million in 2025.
The new Jersey Mike’s in Bellefonte would become the chain’s fourth franchise in the area, joining existing shops at 2135 S. Atherton St., 2009 N. Atherton St. and 454 Shiloh Road in State College. Verizon operates a company store at 2030 N. Atherton St. in State College, as well as authorized retailers owned by local franchisees at 2615 E. College Ave. in State College and 141 S. Allegheny St. in Bellefonte.
The Dunkin’ planned for the Bishop Street shopping plaza would become the second Bellefonte-area location, joining a franchise at 2825 Benner Pike. Centre County is home to six Dunkin’ shops in State College, plus locations in Centre Hall and Philipsburg.
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