STATE COLLEGE — To put in perspective how long Harper’s men’s clothing store has been a mainstay on College Avenue, owner Brian Cohen offers this: There isn’t a Penn Stater alive who attended the school before the store existed.
The store has been serving the community at 114 W. College Ave. since 1926. After 90 years in one spot, it’s about to make a move to a bigger space. But it’s going only a couple of blocks down the road, to 224 E. College Ave.
“We’re moving from being next door to one iconic restaurant, The Corner Room, to another, The Tavern,” Cohen said.
“The (new) corner space is a lot more visible than the narrow space we have now,” Cohen said.
The new multi-level store, set to open in late May, will be 6,000 square feet. The current store, which will remain open until the new space is ready, is 3,700 square feet. The expanded space will bring a new offering: a women’s boutique.
Harper’s used to sell some women’s apparel, but stopped doing so about a decade ago, Cohen said.
“I miss it,” he said.
The women’s line will likely be reintroduced next fall, when the new space has its grand opening, after a soft opening in the spring.
The new space will also feature an expanded tailor shop with large windows in the store so customers can see the tailors at work, Cohen said.
And the shop will feature an expanded selection of its tailored and off-the-rack men’s clothing, as well as its Harper’s Varsity Club line — higher-end Penn State apparel — introduced 3 1/2 years ago.
Cohen said he expects demolition at the new space to begin in early January, followed by a five-month build-out. He expects to close the current store for only two or three days before opening the doors of the new shop. The new store will fill the space previously occupied by Searcy and by Blue I.V., which is closing later this month. CVS, next door to the current Harper’s, will expand into that space, Cohen said.
While many independent clothing shops struggle to survive or eventually fold, Cohen said business at Harper’s has been “consistently good” despite changing buying habits.
“Our business runs on locals, but the alumni base for our store is pretty big,” Cohen said. “For some people, we’re part of their Penn State tradition.”
Jack Harper opened the store in 1926, in partnership with George and Ken Stark. In the same year, Cohen’s grandfather, Joe, opened the The Young Men’s Shop in Altoona. In 1982, Cohen’s father, Joel, opened The Young Men’s Shop on Calder Way in State College and Brian joined the business a few years later. In 2000, he led the merger of Jack Harper’s and The Young Men’s Shop into one State College store on West College Avenue.
Men’s apparel is a challenging business, Cohen said, noting that in the 1980s many men wore suits to work every day, while today “suit buying is more of a special occasion.”
It’s not uncommon, he said, for Penn State students to buy their first business suit at the store.
“We get a lot of guys buying their first suit from us, for an interview,” Cohen said. “Then they keep coming back.”
While having a “compelling product” is important, Cohen said, he learned from his father that the most important ingredient to success is “it’s all about the people. Having a great staff is first. That’s what brings people back.”
Harper’s has 11 employees in addition to Cohen. “They’re all professionals,” he said. “I’m blessed to have a good staff.”
Beyond that, the secret to staying successful, Cohen said, is “hard work, having a passion for it. It’s a little bit in my blood.”
