With many storefronts left empty awaiting ambitious projects that were never quite realized, the Nittany Mall lives in both legend and infamy among Penn Staters and State College locals, and not always for good reason.

The mall’s owner, Namdar Realty Group, specializes in purchasing slowly sinking shopping malls across the country, and we quickly found out why. So we headed out East College Avenue to find out: what’s up with the Nittany Mall?

Upon walking in, the sights are about what we expected to see. A lot of space, and not too many stores to pick from.

The in-mall Planet Fitness, though, might be a good way to escape the crowded on-campus gyms for something a little more ~empty~.

Looking for signs of life, we ventured into the pet store to check out the bountiful fish and bunnies for sale.

There was still fun to be had, though. The Nittany Mall featured a few typical mall amenities, from way-too-expensive massage chairs and arcade games. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side with the claw machine.

There was also a frame shop that had plenty of Joe Paterno and Penn State-themed artwork ready to help outfit your next fan cave project.

Dunham’s had stacks of kayaks and taxidermy lining the walls of its outdoor areas of the store. It definitely felt like the ~outdoors~.

Where the Michigan apparel belongs: on clearance. We’re still trying to figure out who the target market is for this stuff in State College, though.

We also ventured over to American Eagle Outfitters, one of the few national tenants still hanging around the mall.

The U.S. Army still is holding out hope for the Nittany Mall, though.

There were a few other national chains we recognized, even if they were few and far between.

Thanks for having us, Nittany Mall. We’d say be back soon, but…