Two Downtown State College Businesses Temporarily Closed

Two downtown State College businesses announced over the weekend that they are temporarily closing because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tavern Restaurant, 220 E. College Ave., will be closed from March 15 through March 22, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. An update on The Tavern’s status beyond that will be provided on March 20.

‘The health and safety of our employees and customers are our top priority at the Tavern. We are actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and making adjustments daily,’ the post said. ‘Out of an abundance of caution and to support social distancing measures recommended by the CDC, we will close from 3/15-3/22 while we continue to monitor the situation.’

Emporium Market, 240 E. Calder Way, also will be temporarily closing until further notice. The marketplace for local handmade products recently moved downtown from the Nittany Mall and will postpone it’s grand opening celebration, originally scheduled for March 17, to a later date.

‘We do not feel comfortable encouraging people to gather at a time when staying home seems to be the best measure,’ a post on Emporium’s Facebook page said.

Emporium will arrange delivery to individuals who rely on products from the market. Contact info can be found here.

The temporary closures come as State College businesses face a period of uncertainty, with Penn State suspending in-person instruction, many events canceled and general concerns about the growing COVID-19 outbreak. Some businesses are operating on reduced hours, others are trying to stay open as usual and many have announced new cleaning, sanitation and safety measures.