It's a cliche, but it's true -- Norm Brown bleeds blue and white.

Brown, chairman of the State College Downtown Business Association and manager of the Student Book Store, 330 E. College Ave., said he is a tried-and-true Penn State fan.

"Remember in 1982, when Penn State won the national championship in football? The team had two good guys -- Todd Blackledge and Curt Warner. My son was born in 1982. We named him Todd Curtis," Brown said.

Brown graduated from the University in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in business, and since then, he has been fulfilling his dream to live and work in the town he loves -- State College.

"This town means a lot more to me than other towns. I know what the Arts Festival and football season means to the community," Brown said as he sat in a makeshift office consisting of a small desk and brown metal folding chairs in the back stockroom of the store.

Donning a black, pinstripe suit, a blue and red paisley tie and black socks with hearts in celebration of Valentine's Day, the bearded Brown looked like a laid-back executive who's certainly not too busy to shoot the breeze with employees or customers.

"Before I took over here, the store was falling back. People who worked here were just nine-to-fivers who weren't involved in the community," said Brown, who in 1980 began working at the Penn State Bookstore.

"I wanted to be involved with the community," he added. In 1989, the Student Book Store offered Brown partial ownership of the store, and he moved there.

Since then, he has tried to turn the attitude and atmosphere of the store around, he said sitting amid shelves containing Penn State sweatshirts, plastic Penn State drinking cups and a football that looked about 10 times the regular size.

The plaques hanging above the doorway in the makeshift office recognizing the store's commitment to community service are reminders of that fresh attitude. The store won a first-place plaque last year from the American Red Cross for promoting a community blood drive.

The store's employees enjoy working under Brown, who won the Jaycees' 1991 Outstanding Young Businessman Award.

"We love him. I've worked for 17 years here under four managers, and Norm is a tremendous person. He not only cares about the business and the customers, he also cares about his employees. He brings an energy here that we haven't had for years," said assistant manager Donna Adams.

She added that Brown tries to be innovative within the business.

"He's always trying new things," Adams said.

"I have a great time working under him," said Christine Jensen, (senior-history). "He's pretty flexible, open-minded and he cares completely for you as an individual. He goes out of his way to help you out."

Even the competition likes him.

Steve Long, manager of University Book Centre, 206 E. College Ave., said he has respect for Brown the businessman.

"He's done an excellent job for the past year as president of the Downtown Business Association. He's a very hard worker and a true asset to the association," Long said.

As Brown's business counterpart, Long regards him highly.

"He's a hard competitor, but he's always been fair and ethical in the way he conducts his business," Long said. "I have a lot of respect for Norm, and I think he has a lot of respect for what I'm doing."

Brown calls his business a "revolving door," meaning that he tries to give back to the community that patronizes his store.

"We try to do the best we can. We do things like mail Valentines for those people who buy them here," he said.

Brown was elected to the executive board of the State College Chamber of Commerce and also became involved in the Downtown Business Association in 1989.

"I became chairman (of the Downtown Business Association) basically by default last year," he said, adding that no one else wanted the job.

"But I have enjoyed it," he said.

Brown said he is concerned about the balance of downtown businesses in the community.

"A downtown organization is crucial. We really need a full-time person to manage the downtown," he said, citing that an association member must be at every State College Borough Council meeting to make sure the association remains abreast of the latest events.

While an employee told Brown that a customer wanted to speak to him about returning some Valentine's Day cards, he spoke of the need for downtown businesses to stress customer service.

It's difficult to change the mindsets of some store owners who do not go out of their way to cater to all groups of potential customers -- especially residents and students, he said.

"But my concern is that the consumer should not write off the entire business community just because of a couple of bad apples," Brown added.

He said it is necessary to attain a balance of businesses and shops in the borough.

"I don't want this to be a town of T-shirt stores, pizza shops and beer joints," he said, adding that shops that cater to residents, such as Danks Department Store, 148 S. Allen St., and Mr. Charles Shop, 228 E. College Ave., help to balance the shops geared to college students.

Most noticeable about his personality is that even though Brown is responsible for running a business, he remains calm and relaxed.

"I don't get stressed out because I really enjoy this business," he said.