“Dad, I want to open a pizzeria,” said 14-year-old Izzy just about a year ago. With those seven words, Izzy’s Pizza came to be. 

Welcome back to The Bucktown Business Beat! This month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Izzy and Jim Warren. The Warren family came together in such a beautiful way to show Izzy that his dreams could become a reality when opening up their new Make Your Own Pizzeria located in the Greenridge Plaza.

When I asked Izzy and Jim, “What was the inspiration behind starting the business?” they walked me through a beautiful story that filled me with much motivation. The idea of Izzy’s Pizza started floating around before a trip to Utah for a conference to see Kris Krohn, a breakthrough mentor, real estate guru, and much more. 

Izzy went along as he follows in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps. “I wanted to start making money & start something new,” Izzy tells us. At the conference, they just so happened to bump into a couple who were holding cups that said “Slurp” on them. They inquired about the cups and found out that there was a soda bar. Naturally, their next step was to check it out. The soda bar had various syrups for customers to mix in any way that they would like. Izzy loved this idea and took note of it, as he would continue to do as their trip progressed, whenever setting his eyes on even the smallest details that he would implement into the pizzeria.

“What was the journey of opening the business like?” I asked. After getting back from the trip, they immediately started on Izzy’s plan. “We didn’t just think about it, we took it seriously and started moving on it!” Jim exclaims. 

Jim found pizza-making equipment for sale, and being the young businessman that Izzy is, he was ready to make the purchase with his own savings. The Warren family got right to work and formed Izzy’s Pizza from the ground up! The whole family stepped in to get Izzy’s Pizza ready to open, from ripping up floors to painting gorgeous (& yummy) murals. A big significant moment in their journey was when Izzy’s Pizza was approved for a Loan to Grant for small business by the City of Scranton.

Having just opened, Izzy’s Pizza hopes to become a staple in the community. Jim expressed that he wants Izzy’s Pizza to be a place you can come to. not just for the food, but for the atmosphere, and to relax, read a book, surf the web, or play some board games with a nice cold crisp soda.

What are some future plans for Izzy’s Pizza? The Warren family has many plans for Izzy’s Pizza! They’re looking forward to hosting events like birthday parties and possibly traveling to birthday parties with an Izzy’s Pizza food truck. The Warren family also made Izzy’s Pizza as franchisable as possible, hoping to open various locations. “I think it would be fun to make this work and let it be a fun experience and share it with everyone,” Jim states.

Opening Izzy’s Pizza was overall a great experience for the Warren family with a taste of nostalgia. Jim tells us, “When the kids were younger, every Friday I used to make up some fresh dough and have the kids roll out their own dough and put their own toppings on them. Then we used that concept here, to let people get that experience.”

“What are some lessons you learned along the way?” I asked. Izzy tells us, “We messed up a lot, so we had a lot of lessons, but it was a fun journey.” He also shares, “Expect it to take much longer than you think.” Jim explains that with all the experience they now have, the next Izzy’s Pizza will be that much easier to open! 

Jim and Izzy both shared great pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the community. “If you have a dream and you want to do something, do it, don’t hold back, don’t be scared, and if you are scared, walk through the fear. Be joyful, be happy, and keep motivated. As long as you keep motivated, you will get there,” expresses Jim.

Izzy’s Pizza doors are open from Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can order online or walk right in. Choose your own toppings and have fun at the soda bar, and don’t forget to document the fun by taking some great pictures in front of their murals! Izzy’s Pizza hopes to see you all soon and hopes to provide some fresh new fun for the whole family.