An influx of visitors in State College for the PIAA high school basketball championship drove a new clothing store to open Friday, almost two weeks earlier than expected.

Despite an unfinished appearance, Lion and Cub Clothing and More opened its doors at 226 E. College Ave., store employee Vivian Figueroa said.

"There were a lot of out-of-towners," owner Benson Lichtig said. "We still have another week-and-a-half's worth of work to do, but the store was ready enough to get us through the weekend."

Although a permanent sign has not yet been put outside and about half the store remains packed -- a problem Figueroa attributed to a shortage of hangers -- Figueroa said she was pleased with the store's opening weekend sales.

"We're still doing last-minute touches, but we got more business than I thought we would," Figueroa added.

Under the same ownership as The Clothesline Factory Outlet, 138 E. College Ave., the new store will feature different items, Lichtig said.

"We'll have a broader range of collectibles and different types of clothing items that we don't have space for in the other store," he said. "We'll have a little more room to spread out."

Figueroa added the clothing in the new store will be of "better quality" than those at The Clothesline Factory Outlet.

Although Lichtig said he might look into more advertising in the future, shoppers seemed to be finding the new store on their own.

Incoming freshman Amy Dobrzynski, who was shopping in The Clothesline Factory Outlet with her parents for new Penn State apparel, was unaware of the new store but said that she would "definitely" check it out.

Lichtig said he wasn't concerned about his stores being thought of as too similar.

"Both stores will have their little niche," he said. "Hopefully people will be glad to shop in both."