The place opened Monday night. By Tuesday night it had already attracted Manny Charlton, former lead guitarist of the 70's hard-rock band Nazareth, as a member of its clientele.
Simply Kind, 224 W. College Ave., State College's headquarters for tobacco products and hand-blown glass accessories, has taken its laid-back appeal to the next level by introducing its new coffee bar, hookah lounge and live music stage.
As night falls, the shop's employees move the regular merchandise from the main room into the back in order to accommodate the spacious layout the innovative new venture requires.
The appeal of Simply Kind's lounge is in the sweet wafting scent of flavored tobaccos, the aesthetically-pleasing array of plush leopard-print chairs, the sweet sounds of acoustic guitar and the low-pressure feel that comes with being unable to distinguish the employees from the customers.
Joshua Collins (sophomore-secondary education) was among the first to experience the store's new enterprise.
"I went there for opening night and it was a real friendly atmosphere, really laid back and chill. I think it's definitely something that Penn State needs as far as having some place to hang out other than a diner or cheesy bookstore-slash-café," Collins said.
Business partner in the lounge venture, Jonathan Kavner, and owner Richard Zych began brainstorming about the creation of the smoking lounge while traveling in Europe almost a year ago, according to Kavner.
"I never had a place like this when I was in college. Rich and I strive to provide a relaxed atmosphere for college students to hang out," Kavner said.
Charles Townsend, the self-described "house musician," entertains patrons on weekends with what he calls "everything from blues to a kind of ambien rock." He recently moved to the area from Maryland, but was born and raised in the UK, and his speech patterns still reveal a hint of his British roots.
His preferred repertoire includes songs from Radiohead, Björk, Phish and the Verve, as well as originals. His nonchalant stage presence compliments his dress-down style and "lost boy" countenance. As he strummed his guitar and cooed a heartfelt rendition of Phish's "Possum," guests reclined in their beanbag or rocking chairs and closed their eyes.
"I could just come here to think," said Malena Vinocur (junior-psychology and anthropology) between sips of her water.
On weeknights the store plans to hold open-mic sessions for its artistically inclined patrons.
For tobacco enthusiasts, the lounge offers hookah rentals with a selection of twenty flavored tobaccos including pistachio, strawberry, jasmine and mint. The long-grain Turkish tobaccos are steeped in molasses and mixed with fresh fruit and other flavors, Kavner said.
Ian-Lief Plowes (sophomore-international business and management) sat near the stage with friends, puffing on an apricot-flavored hookah.
"You feel very mellow just looking at it and smoking. It's very sweet, it doesn't taste like cigarettes or cigars," Plowes said.
"I think even people who don't smoke would enjoy it because it's so smooth you don't even feel it," said Matthew Hurd (senior-psychology) as the scented smoke drifted out of the metal peak atop the hookah.
The customer can choose between single-hose hookahs for the price of $5 a bowl, and double-hose hookahs, which cost $10 for the first bowl and $5 for each bowl thereafter.
"It should be said that our tobaccos have zero tar and hit the lungs at a lower temperature so they don't burn," Kavner said.
The lounge also offers herbal alternatives to tobacco.
Another new addition to the formerly "simple" inventory of the store is the full-range coffee bar, serving up everything from espresso to caramel lattes to plain old joe.
As for what '70s rock-star Charlton was doing in the lounge?
"I was looking for a pipe so I came in," Charlton said. He ended up buying nearly $2,500 worth of merchandise, sampling the shop's hookahs and Italian sodas, which he deemed "pretty tasty," telling jokes at the bar and lounging all night.
