Why State College’s newest business, a speakeasy, is ‘something this town has not seen before’
Dueling quotes from William Shakespeare and Willy Wonka greet visitors when they first step inside Centre County’s newest business — a hint at the unique speakeasy’s “sophisticated funhouse” vibe.
Details and surprises are packed into every colorful inch of The Hideaway Electric Speakeasy (128 E. College Ave.), a State College bar and restaurant that’s set for a grand opening at 4:44 p.m. March 1. In one part of the business, dioramas of fantasy worlds are carefully crafted within clear bricks while a fantasy door straight out of “Coraline,” a critically-acclaimed stop-motion film from 2009, sits nearby.
And that’s literally just inside the coat closet.
“You can come in 20 times and not catch everything,” said a smiling owner in Michael Fullington, 43, who grew up in State College. “I’m not greedy; I’m not doing this for the money. I’m doing this for the passion.”
Fullington envisions a place where everyone feels welcome, from older adults looking for a relaxed atmosphere to younger students (21 and over) looking to dance or unwind. He hopes to achieve that, in part, thanks to a soundproof curtain that will be utilized at night to separate the dance floor and bar from a second bar and surrounding tables.
But he also has high hopes for different events and themes that could appeal to everyone — such as puppy yoga and Sunday brunch, which will feature a professional harp player for a two-hour period.
“It doesn’t matter what style of bar you’re looking for,” added beverage director Bryan Pierzga. “I think we can deliver on both ends.”
Colorful, unique look
String lights hang over the dance floor like stars, while custom neon lighting — much of which is bright blue and pink — mixes with walls bursting with artwork and painted sayings, the latter of which was done by a muralist.
A working payphone — well, it can only receive calls for now — sits next to one bar, below a colorful reminder to “Call your mom.” Six Felix the Cat clocks, all different colors, hang near the soundproof curtain. And more than a half-dozen high-tech digital frames are designed to house moving digital art.
Every part of the business has been painstakingly designed with color and quality in mind. Fullington and his “partner in crime,” Lydia Delaney, hand-painted and reupholstered chairs. Two pink 1,200-pound Lion statues guard the entrance off Calder Way, which will open at night, while a blacklit entrance off College Avenue will remain open during all working hours.
Those colorful themes are present even in areas of the business not typically open to customers. The head chef, who previously worked at Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, asked for three disco balls in the kitchen. So Fullington gave him five.
“I want him having fun in the kitchen too,” Fullington added.
Fullington operated several downtown State College bars before moving to Denver for about three years and returning home a year ago. His desire to create something different without skimping on quality at the former Jax Bar and Kitchen location has lured mixologists and professionals from as far as Las Vegas and Colorado to jump on board.
Hideaway bar manager Karen Miranda previously worked at what last year was named the Best Vegan Restaurant in America. But she left because she said she wanted a new challenge. Head chef Daniel “Cuttysan” Cutshall praised his last employer — but just couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
“Mike doesn’t need to do this; Mike wants to do this,” Cutshall said. “And what really got me was he wants to be here, and he wants us to be here. And that’s really attractive to me. He’s given these guys, and me, everything we want — anything we want — to be successful.”
No dollar beer specials: Quality first
Imagine Appletinis made from scratch with real Granny Smith apples, drinks with large bubbles that burst into puffs of smoke, color-changing cocktails and “giggle juice” designed with ingredients to tickle your nose.
More than three dozen mixed drinks will be available, including five flavors of margaritas. The more complex cocktails will range from about $12-$15.
“There won’t be $3 drinks. I think we’ll probably start at $4, so we won’t be having those cheap specials,” Fullington said. “Everything you get here should be very good quality. It’ll be the best of the best you can get.”
Although the focus will be on cocktails and mixed drinks, a small selection of beer and wine will also be available. But in an effort to continue that theme of remaining unique, or being different, don’t expect the same selection as other nearby bars and restaurants.
The wine selection will rotate monthly, and it will be curated by Pierzga, whose aim is to highlight smaller vineyards that are often overlooked — such as those from Austria and Portugal.
“You’re not going to come here and maybe have the same wine that you had two months ago,” Pierzga said. “But if you have a little bit of curiosity, or a sense of adventure, there’s always going to be a good wine here.”
Cutshall was a bit more secretive about the food menu, which will switch over to a late night menu at midnight. But when asked to describe his food, the former Elk Creek Cafe chef used words like polished, casual, innovative and fusion. (For foodies in the know, he described his dishes as the love child of Meow Wolf, The Slanted Door and Nobu.)
The chef previously lived in Japan and said that influence is evident in his cooking. One of his specialties will be “Disco Noodles,” a dish of rice noodles with teriyaki key lime reduction, Ancho-scented cashews, shredded carrot and Thai basil salad with duck confit. He also shared an appetizer of tempura asparagus with red peppercorn and miso beurre blanc.
Entrees will range from about $15 to $30.
The Hideaway will charge a $20 cover when the Calder Way entrance opens around 9 p.m. and the soundproof curtain is pulled closed. But the speakeasy doesn’t plan to charge a cover for the College Avenue entrance, which is designed to elicit a more relaxed atmosphere. In other words, if you’re just coming for dinner, you won’t have to pay to enter.
But, even if you’re looking to do a little of everything, covers will also be half-off for customers who decide to dress up, as the speakeasy anticipates hosting different themed nights (e.g. Disney Night).
Looking ahead
The Hideaway Electric Speakeasy initially anticipated opening Feb. 22, but a broken cooler at the last minute put those plans on ice. The business will now have a soft opening this week — when not all food will be available — before its new grand opening March 1.
Hours are 4:44 p.m. to 2:22 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. Sunday. (Fullington considers numbers with repeating digits to be lucky.) The location is closed on Mondays.
As the new business finds its footing and gets into a groove, it expects to host different events and themed nights. So, trivia nights won’t be available for the soft opening but should be available in March.
The Hideaway plans to host music trivia on 8 p.m. Tuesdays and sex trivia on 8 p.m. Wednesdays. It will have themed Thursdays, an out-of-town DJ on Fridays and dancealong balls on Saturdays, where classic songs like “Sweet Caroline” will be remixed with electronic dance music.
Brunch, only for those 21 and over, will be available Sundays from open until close. Starting at 2:22 p.m. Sundays, the “Sexy Service Industry Hour” will feature masseuses, magicians, tarot card readers and more to celebrate service industry people who typically relax Sundays. A “Whimsy and Whiskers” tea party at 1:11 p.m. Saturday afternoons will bring in 6-foot flowers and lit-up mushrooms as if it were a scene pulled out of Alice in Wonderland.
“It won’t ever be the same every day,” Fullington said. “We’ll always have something.”
The features, plans and surprises are endless. Fullington purchased a multi-thousand-dollar scent machine to add to the ambiance, boasts a full Pink Panther costume — The Hideaway’s mascot of sorts — that will hand out cotton candy at different points, and a claw machine set to “easy” so customers can win a souvenir before leaving.
The staff have been consistently impressed with the level of detail.
“I’ve been saying it from Day 1,” said Ryan Rotell, an administrative manager who previously worked at W.R. Hickey for nearly two decades. “I’ve seen everything come in every day and, just looking around, I’ve said this is one of those bars where you come here and you’re going to want to come back. And every time you leave, you’re going to go, ‘Oh, look at that. Look at this.’ Every time you leave here, you’re going to see something different. And it’s going to be like that for everyone
“It’s going to be something this town has not seen before.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 3:39 PM.
