State College-Free parking helps small businesses

Posted: Dec 21, 2018 / 12:11 AM EST / Updated: Dec 21, 2018 / 12:11 AM EST

The State College Borough worked with the Downtown State College Improvement District to make parking free at parking meter spots and at parking garages from December 17th through Christmas Day.

Shoppers say free parking in downtown State College not only encourages more shopping, it makes it easier for people, because now they can park close to a store without paying and load up their car with items they bought, that might be big.

“I think it’s great. It certainly helps me to come downtown,” Roger Daugherty, resident in State College, said.

“It definitely encourages it, I’ve been downtown shopping three times in the past week, which is obviously up from what I normally do,” Derek Nye, State College resident said.

Geoff Brugler, Owner of Appalachian Outdoors, says he appreciates the borough and the downtown State College Improvement District working with small business owners to help encourage more shopper traffic.

“It’s undoubtedly a great thing and I think it does bring people downtown,” Brugler said.

Daugherty, says this helps keeps downtown competitive with other shops throughout the borough.

“Any other business that you go into town around town they have free parking and there’s just not free parking downtown.”

He says small businesses downtown need as much help as they can get.

Brugler, Owner of Appalachian Outdoors, says he noticed some people stay in parking meter spots longer than 3 hours, so it would be good idea next year to enforce some type of monitoring system or to make it a four parking limit.