This shoe store left the Nittany Mall for a new State College location. Here’s why

A national footwear chain moved to a new location in the State College area last week.

Shoe Dept. Encore opened at 319 Benner Pike in State College on March 28 after spending more than two decades inside the Nittany Mall. The store now occupies the same space as the former Party City location, which closed in 2024 shortly after its company filed for bankruptcy.

Denise Sylvia, a district manager for Shoe Dept. Encore, said the new Benner Pike location is already yielding more business for the store after just a few days. The incoming Nittany Mall casino, which is expected to open in the first half of 2026, played a role in the move, she said.

“The mall is dying, and we didn’t think the casino would do anything for us,” said Sylvia, who helps oversee 11 company stores in the area. “We already have, just in the past five days, seen better foot traffic in our new spot.”

The new Shoe Dept. Encore location features about 12,500 square feet — roughly the same size as its former space at the Nittany Mall, Sylvia said. The store’s mall location sat in Suite 558 right outside the former Macy’s, where the casino will be located.

Shoe Show, the North Carolina-based company that operates stores under the Shoe Dept. Encore name and several others, offers other locations in the area, including a Shoe Dept. Encore store at 221 Patriot Lane in State College next to Trader Joe’s. Other company stores are still available in Burnham, Huntingdon, DuBois and other central Pennsylvania areas.

According to the company’s online listing, the Benner Pike Shoe Dept. Encore is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Customers can reach the store by calling 814-231-0299.