Three more businesses in the Nittany Mall are shutting their doors early this year.
Christopher & Banks, Hot Topic and Kozee’s Sports Emporium each recently announced through store signage and Facebook posts that they will be closing their locations in the College Township mall.
Last days of business were not made available, but each is offering storewide closing sales.
Women’s clothing retailer Christopher & Banks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday and on Friday confirmed it is closing all of its brick-and-mortar locations as a result of the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our entire company has put forth a herculean effort to fight through this. However, a once in a 100-year pandemic proved to be an impossible event to overcome,” a post on the company’s Facebook page said. “As such, unfortunately, the company is experiencing liquidity constraints, and as a result, we must immediately start winding down our operations.
“This decision wasn’t made lightly, but is the best course of action given the circumstance.”
Pop culture clothing and accessory retailer Hot Topic has not announced such widespread closures, but its Nittany Mall store will be shutting down and will not be relocating, according to a post on the local location’s Facebook page.
Kozee’s Sports Emporium, which specializes in professional and college sports team merchandise, announced on Facebook it is closing only its Nittany Mall location, where it is now offering 40% off storewide. Its Altoona location will remain open.
Bradley’s Book Outlet announced in August that it would be closing its Nittany Mall location in early 2021. It is still offering a store closing sale.
In 2020, Dino’s Pizza, Macy’s, Express, Kay Jeweler, Victoria’s Secret and Rampage Room all closed in the Nittany Mall. Happy Wraps closed its mall restaurant and moved to downtown Bellefonte and Emporium Market moved from the mall to downtown State College.
While three of the mall’s four anchor spots are currently empty, Rural King is still planning to open in the former Sears location. College Township Manager Adam Brumbaugh told StateCollege.com earlier this month that a proposed subdivision plan for the store should be making its way through planning commission and onto council by the end of January or February.
On Jan. 4, Bally’s Corporation announced it had signed an agreement with investor and Penn State alumnus Ira Lubert to develop a planned $120 million mini-casino in Centre County, “near the Nittany Mall.”
A specific location has not yet been named and it is unclear whether it could be built on mall property.
According to a spokesperson for Nittany Mall ownership, the portion of the mall zoned for gaming was the former Macy’s parcel.
“That parcel was under contract for sale to a local developer in September,” the spokesperson said earlier this month. “As of now, there is no further information to share from ownership’s end.”
Brumbaugh said the township has not had any discussions with Lubert or Bally’s about construction of a casino.
“We have been in touch with a group of local, State College-based investors who have an interest in the former Macy’s space at the Nittany Mall, but I am unaware that any transfer concerning that site has taken place,” Brumbaugh said.
The anchor spot formerly occupied by Bon-Ton has been used as a free COVID-19 testing site sponsored by Centre County since late October. Last week, Centre County Administrator Margaret Gray said the testing clinic would be moving to 1155 Benner Pike, Suite 120, beginning Jan. 19 “due to new tenants coming in…” County officials said in December they expected the testing clinic might need to move to another location sometime in January.
Asked about a potential new tenant for the former Bon-Ton, a spokesperson for the mall replied in an email, “We have no information nor anything to share pertaining thereto at this time.”
