State of Retail in State College: Hamilton Square Shopping Center

Editor’s note: This is the third part of an ongoing series entitled “State of Retail in State College.” From struggling areas to the more bustling shopping centers, we’ll examine the main retail sections of State College, with an eye on openings, closings, and the attendant challenges of the retail business. Look for the column every other week, and keep us updated on what you want to see. As always, we appreciate your feedback.

———-

by Matthew Groves

One of the oldest retail shopping centers in town may be getting a dramatic new look.

University Park Plaza Corporation, the owner of Hamilton Square Shopping Center, is planning a 15,000-square-foot addition—if it can get the tenants to fill it.

Located in the heart of State College and blocks away from downtown and the Penn State campus, Hamilton Square was built in 1959, when its namesake was a dirt road.

The shopping center was built on the location of an old rock quarry that had been mined out. (Crown American, which has constructed many shopping centers across the country, built up the property.)

“If you go behind our shopping center, you can see the old quarry wall,” said Kathy Stephens, operations manager of UPPC, which owns the main strip, the Bastian Tire building, and the facility that houses the state health-department office. (Check out the picture of the old stone quarry below.)

Currently, UPPC does not have any commitments for the potential expansion, and will not build until it does. “We have had some interest,” Stephens said. “We have made efforts to find tenants to fill the spaces, but nothing concrete yet.”

From mini-golf to Miller Lite

Currently, Hamilton Square is completely occupied, but like many shopping centers across the country, it has seen businesses come and go over the years. (UPPC’s office is in the shopping center, and cites its ability to provide immediate support to its tenants as a key competitive advantage.)

A short-lived mini-golf course, Championship Mini-Golf, operated behind the shopping center from 1994 to 1997. W.S. Lee Food Stores closed in the early part of the decade, which led to the expansion of East Coast Health & Fitness and a move by Wild Side Pets from a different location in the center.

Two newcomers are Beer Belly’s Beverage and a computer repair store, which replaced Consumer Credit Counseling.

Meanwhile, Brother’s Pizza of Hamilton Square is a mainstay, offering crayons for its youngest customers, free bread sticks, and servers who remember the names of their most loyal clients. 

Beer with your liquor?

Beer Belly’s has been a solid addition to the plaza as far as a traffic draw, Stephens said. But manager Aaron Tetel offers a conservative view of the store’s viability.  “We are doing alright for our first year, but there is a long road ahead of us,” he said. “We are still learning as we go.”

On its side is convenience. With the state-run Wine & Spirits store on site, Hamilton is the only shopping center in town that offers the ability to stock up on cases of beer and bottles of vodka in the same trip.

Penn State senior Cody Edling said if he’s shopping for liquor, he’ll occasionally visit both stores in order to save himself a drive to another beer distributor.

Said Edling: “It is the closest you are going to get in this state to being able to buy both under the same roof.”

Related coverage

• State of Retail in State College: Westerly Parkway (Feb. 13, 2011)

• State of Retail in State College: Hills Plaza (Jan. 30, 2011)