Going into Saturday night’s game against Indiana University, Penn State’s football team is undefeated, and Nittany Lions fans flocked to State College for the hotly anticipated game. And with this came soaring sales for local businesses.
No one could have asked for a prettier day to play football. Electricity and good times hung in the air Saturday in downtown State College. Not only was it good times for the Penn State football fans, but also for the local businesses seeing a spike in sales.
It was jam-packed downtown with traffic, football fans, and eagerness for the Nittany Lions’ unbroken string of wins to continue. The Penn State faithful seemed confidant they would pull through against the Hoosiers Saturday night.
“I’m excited. We’ve been on a roll recently. I think it’s gonna be a great day,” said Trevor Scofield, a Penn State fan.
It is also a great day for the community. After a year-and-a-half of the coronavirus pandemic, Schofield and other pedestrians told 6 News it’s good to see a burst of energy.
“It’s so nice to see everybody out and just kind of see, like, the Penn State community just like come back to life. I think it’s fantastic to see everybody out here having fun and just being normal. It’s nice to have a bit of normalcy,” Scofield added.
On game days, with 100,000 fans heading toward Beaver Stadium, there’s always a surge in sales at Penn State souvenir shops.
But this boom in economic activity even trickles down to art galleries, of all places. The Douglas Albert Gallery, squeezed into the narrow McAllister Alley, was glad to see business jump on gamedays like Saturday’s.
“It’s an uptick from what it’s been. And it’s just great to have the energy downtown that we’ve been missing for the past year-and-a-half,” Douglas Albert, the gallery’s owner, told 6 News.
Open since 1981, the art gallery has weathered many economic crises, and Albert says people are glad to see him still in business after all these years.
“People are coming to State College, and it’s not the same State College it was three years ago, two years ago. And [there’s] some remorse because they miss a lot of the businesses that used to be here. They’re thrilled that I’m still here,” Albert said.
Fans hope the victories keep rolling in, both athletically and economically, for State College.
“Well I hope Penn State wins. I don’t have a crystal ball, I’m pretty sure they will,”
