After being open for 35 years, Spats Cafe & Speakeasy, a State College staple, will be closing. Along with Spats, the Rathskeller will also be closing after an entire 84 years. Their closings are a cause of the leases not being renewed. As a State College native, I find it disheartening that these longtime local establishments are going to be replaced. Not only will two landmarks be lost, but so will the jobs of their employees. The new owners say they plan on continuing the legacy of the Skeller, but nothing has been said about Spats yet. The closing date was announced to be January 27th, 2018.

Knowing how strongly many Penn State alumni feel about the news, I was curious to find out how students at State High were reacting. Many of the students I polled disregarded the news. Claire Ryan, senior, said, “Honestly, I don’t think that the food is that great, I don’t really care too much.”

Other students consider the closing of iconic eateries to be a shame. Jackie Saleeby, a senior, said, “I really wanted to work at Spats a while ago. I think it’s sad to see local State College businesses dying while Panera is thriving.” I agree that local businesses contribute to State College’s unique feel, especially the ones that have been around a while, so it’s sad to see them go.

Although many people have neutral feelings about the end of this era, State College residents still have over a month to enjoy these two long standing places downtown; Spats Cafe and Rathskellers.