Business closures hit Central PA amid cost and staffing woes

(WTAJ) — Central Pennsylvania has seen a rash of closures of both national retail locations and local businesses since the start of the year.

It seems like every day another business is announcing a closure. Both big box stores and local mom-and-pop shops have shuttered at a rapid rate, citing growing costs as a reason for their closure.

"Because of tariffs, because of inflation that has been going on also, especially inflation for a couple of years, makes it really hard for, these companies to actually make money," said Johanna Slot, an Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing at Penn State.

Slot said brick-and-mortar stores are losing out in sales to online shopping and once a local store does shut down, consumers that had been shopping there don't find another local retailer — they