Downtown State College bar closes 5 months after misconduct allegations surface
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Internal probe found substantial, credible evidence of owner’s misconduct.
- Eleven employees reported harassment, intimidation and wage disputes to attorneys.
- Owner denied wrongdoing and blamed false allegations. Also said he exhausted funds.
The Hideaway Electric Speakeasy, a neon-soaked bar and restaurant in downtown State College, has permanently closed its doors months after an internal investigation found “substantial and credible evidence” to support employees’ allegations the owner inappropriately touched staff and acted in an intimidating manner.
Owner Michael Fullington Jr. announced Sunday night in a Facebook post that the speakeasy has ceased operations. He alluded to the allegations after first thanking his staff.
“At this point I have exhausted all of my funds trying to keep the doors open,” he wrote in the post. “It is devastating to have to close not because of a lack of effort or heart but because of a few lies and false allegations that spiraled far beyond my control. This situation has affected me financially, mentally, and emotionally. Being harassed, judged, and treated like a monster over things that were not true has been incredibly painful. What hurts even more is knowing that my staff also endured harassment. People who were simply showing up to do their jobs and support something they believed in.
“Most people don’t see the full picture. They don’t see how hard it is to open and run a restaurant. And they don’t see how much harder it becomes when there are people determined to see you fail from the very beginning.”
The Speakeasy faced issues from the very start. It was forced to push back its initial grand opening a week until March 1, 2025, due to a busted cooler, and then it abruptly closed (temporarily) about a month later. At the time, the business’ Facebook page said it was closed for “improvements.” But an investigation by the CDT found the business actually closed in the wake of an internal investigation conducted by the business’ attorneys at the time. It remained closed for more than four months.
Eleven different employees shared complaints with the attorneys involving Fullington, allegations that included inappropriate touching (i.e. slapping the rear ends of male staff and dry-humping a male staff member behind the bar); inappropriate and sexual comments made toward male and female staff; aggressive and intimidating behavior (i.e. yelling and bullying); and various wage and payment issues. Multiple former managers and employees confirmed the allegations to the CDT, speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation.
No formal charges have ever been filed against Fullington, and State College police previously told the CDT it was not investigating the business. Fullington has denied wrongdoing and has painted the allegations as hearsay.
One employee, a woman who was 21 at the time, told the CDT that Fullington once demanded she change and then put his hands on her shoulders inside his office. At one point, she remembered him saying, “Oh, don’t worry, honey. Don’t cry. You actually look great. The problem is that your body is turning me on too much.”
Male staff members exchanged stories about being dry-humped behind the bar, having their nipples pinched or being slapped on the rear end, assertions considered credible by the internal investigation, according to a summary of the investigation obtained by the CDT.
“He was always playing these little grab-ass games with guys,” one former employee recalled. “He thought it was OK to treat people like it’s just him, and he’s magical and whimsical.”
The CDT published its investigation into the Hideaway on Aug. 18, and the business reopened later that week. It remained open until Jan. 2, 2026, when a Facebook post from the speakeasy explained it was closing for winter break to “rebrand and reset our business.” However, a little more than week later, a second announcement was made that revealed the business was instead permanently closing.
“There are no words that make this easy to say, but with a very heavy heart, I need to share that The Hideaway will be closing its doors,” Fullington wrote.
Upon opening last year, the Hideaway Electric Speakeasy created an immediate buzz around town — not all of it good — and offered unique events and activities such as Sunday brunch with a professional harp player and Saturday afternoons where the bar was decorated like a scene out of Alice in Wonderland. A muralist painted different parts of the interior, and a multi-thousand-dollar scent machine was purchased to add to the ambiance.
But much of management left after the first closure, and the ambitious bar and restaurant couldn’t thrive at the former location of Jax Bar & Kitchen.
Fullington’s future plans are unknown, and it wasn’t immediately known what might happen to the property at 127 E. Calder Way. Although the bar opened last March, it operated only about six months in total.
