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Belle Mercantile, located at 135 S. Spring St., in Bellefonte recently held its ribbon-cutting. The shop features a variety of products from candles to food and everything in between.
BELLEFONTE There’s a new kid on the block.
Bellefonte’s Belle Mercantile recently opened its doors at 135 S. Spring St. in downtown Bellefonte. Owners Andrea Skirpan and Brian Bonner have lived in Bellefonte for more than 20 years.
On its website, Belle Mercantile is described as a “craft fair meets farmers market.”
Belle Mercantile opened its doors on Sept. 4, 2020. However, due to COVID-19, its grand opening celebration was delayed until last weekend.
“I think Bellefonte is kind of turning a corner with development,” says Bonner, 47.
Belle Mercantile opened its doors on September 4, 2020, and on Saturday will finally hold its grand opening celebration that was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., will include music from RamaLama on the porch, giveaways throughout the day, complimentary drinks and pop up vendors.
Though the store just opened last fall, the couple says the idea had long been in the works.
Skirpan, 46, says the couple primarily started the marketplace because they felt it was a needed addition to Bellefonte, which was lacking an “all-purpose place” for products like gifts and home renovations.
SPRING MILLS Like many retirees, Chet and Carol DeFurio enjoy traveling and seeing the country. Little could they have imagined that on a cross-country train trip, a visit to the H. Driehaus Gallery of Stained Glass at Chicago’s Navy Pier would lead them to begin new careers and a family business.
“It blew me away,” says Chet. “I found it very intriguing, how they put colors and forms together. It was very interesting to me.”
The visit made enough of an impression that once home in Spring Mills, Carol decided to search for stained glass art classes for Chet. She found them at the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, and promptly signed him up.