Women’s clothing boutique Pitaya will hold its grand opening Tuesday morning in downtown State College after a soft launch during Penn State’s Blue-White weekend.
The store, located at 324 E. College Ave. in the former Auntie Anne’s space, will celebrate its opening at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, marking the company’s 16th location nationwide.
The boutique offers women’s clothing focused on current trends, with inventory updated frequently. Pitaya founder Michael Mazor said the brand emphasizes affordability and a wide variety of options tailored to college-aged shoppers.
“What we do now is drastically different from how it began,” Mazor said. “Now we are riding the waves of what’s in style and what we bring in the store is very current, very on trend…We change our merchandise every week. We get lots of new merchandise every week.”
The store layout is designed to simplify shopping, with merchandise organized by color and arranged along the perimeter to allow customers to easily view the selection.
Mazor said the company targeted State College as part of its expansion in college markets.
“We’re already open at a lot of Big Ten schools,” he said. “I’d never been to State College or Penn State before. I had a store that was struggling in Arizona and I wanted to close it and replace it somewhere.”
Mazor’s first visit to the area, he said, confirmed the decision to expand his business to central Pennsylvania.
“I came to look at it in December, and I fell in love with State College,” he said. “I was shocked at how vibrant and clean and just how beautiful the campus and the town was. After that visit, it felt like an absolute no-brainer for me… There’s zero doubt in my mind that this is going to be a very successful location.”
Pitaya began as a small venture while Mazor was a student at Indiana University, when he traveled through Mexico and Central America then sold artisanal clothing and accessories that he brought back. The trip, and success of reselling the clothes, defined the trajectory of Mazor’s career and developed a new passion for him.
Named after the fruit, Pitaya opened its doors at its first location in 1990 in Bloomington, Indiana. After finding early success, he expanded the concept, opening a second store in Indianapolis in 2000 that became the model for future locations.
“We’ve always loved college towns, and State College just felt like a natural fit,” Mazor said. “We want it to be the kind of place people enjoy coming into, where you can try things on, get a little help and leave feeling good about what you found.”
Downtown State College Improvement District retail and commercial business advocate Kendra Kielbasa said the addition strengthens the borough’s retail selections.
“Pitaya brings a proven retail model that performs exceptionally well in college markets, and we’re excited to see that energy and consistency added to our downtown,” Kielbasa said in a statement. “This is the kind of brand that strengthens our overall retail mix, driving foot traffic, supporting neighboring businesses and contributing to the ongoing economic vitality of downtown State College.”
To mark the grand opening, the first 30 customers who in line at 10 a.m. on Tuesday will receive a $30 gift card.
Pitaya will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
