A new salon opened in State College with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday evening celebrating both its launch and its designation as the first recipient of a grant and assistance program to help small businesses get started downtown.
The Whiskey Barber Salon, located at 135 S. Pugh St., was founded by Tanya Campbell and combines traditional barbering with salon services and hospitality-inspired grooming experiences.
Campbell, a licensed cosmetologist, previously managed a downtown salon, For Men Only, for more than 15 years before opening her own business. She said the concept was designed to create a more personalized grooming experience centered on hospitality, and consistency.
The salon offers haircuts, beard grooming and whiskey-infused treatments in a western-themed setting beneath the Scholar Hotel, blending traditional barbershop elements with a modern experience. Campbell said she wanted to create a space that feels elevated while remaining approachable for customers.
“The Whiskey Barber Salon is about more than just a haircut. It’s about creating an experience,” Campbell said. “We’ve created a space where people can unwind, feel taken care of, and leave looking and feeling their best.”
Local officials and business leaders gathered Friday to recognize the opening and Campbell’s role as the first entrepreneur selected for the downtown Retail Launch Assistance Program aimed at bringing new, small brick-and-mortar businesses to the borough. Campbell also received assistance from the Penn State Small Business Development Center.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Tanya for several months from the time she first got her lease here, all the way through,” Downtown State College Improvement District retail and commercial business advocate Kendra Kielbasa said. “She is exactly the type of entrepreneur we want to see come again and again and again to downtown State College. She’s gritty, she has vision, she wants to learn and she wants to bring a level of excellence.”
Kielbasa emphasized the significance of Campbell being the inaugural recipient of the grant.
“What she did and what she prepared for in order to get that grant is extraordinary,” Kielbasa said. “Some of her early endeavors allowed us to layer all sorts of support along with funding, technical assistance and operational support, and we are very proud to have [her] here.”
Kielbasa added that funding for the Retail Launch Assistance Program comes from the State College Redevelopment Authority.
The Retail Launch Assistance Program was created through a partnership between the Downtown State College Improvement District and the State College Redevelopment Authority. The program provides matching funds and professional support for first-time retail businesses and entrepreneurs opening storefronts downtown.
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff praised Campbell during the ceremony and called the business an example of women-led entrepreneurship in the community.
“We’re all here, very excited to cheer Tanya on in her expedition here making State College even better,” Benninghoff said. “This is a real testament to somebody that’s very bright, very excited and a good entertainer outside of having a wonderful establishment here…It is a great testament to women leadership here in our community, a woman business owner.”
Centre County Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins said Campbell’s work ethic is evident in her professional life and other endeavors, including as a leader in the local cycling community as founder of the nonprofit Seasons of Rothrock Adventures and Happy Valley Women’s Cycling.
“I’ve known Tanya for many years. She’s hard working, she’s focused and she is highly organized. She accomplishes everything that she sets out to do,” Higgins said. “I’ve seen her successful work with the Seasons of Rothrock gravel bicycle adventure races and her own bicycle adventure racing career. She is a great choice for the first grant recipient for the Retail Launch Assistance Program”
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes was unable to attend the ceremony, but remarks from him were read during the event.
“We love to see this unique entrepreneurial vision becoming reality through experience, persistence and collaboration with Penn State Small Business Development Center and the downtown State College improvement district with its country western spirit, classic barbershop tradition and upscale approach to grooming and hospitality,” Nanes said. “The Whiskey Barber Salon will bring distinctive new energy to South Pugh Street. I want to thank the State College team for their continued work supporting local businesses and helping entrepreneurs succeed in the heart of our community.”
Campbell said the business was built around community investment and with serving those around her in mind.
“My whole vision here is really to serve our community, invest in our community, and I hope that everybody here wants to invest in themselves, serve each other in the community, and just take delight in that in the end,” Campbell said.
The salon is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Customers can schedule appointments online through The Whiskey Barber’s website.
