Pizza Makers

 

Major League Pizza opened for business January 16, 2006 in Smokey Point,

Arlington, Washington. It didn’t happen overnight. Andy had dreamed of owning

his own pizza restaurant for nearly twenty (20) years before taking the plunge.

(Good things just take a little longer)

 

Andy owned the Old #3 Tavern in Ronald, WA for six (6) years, from 1977

through 1983. Shortly after buying the tavern, Andy put in a small kitchen. It didn’t take long before Andy and the tavern were known for serving the best hamburgers and steaks in upper Kittitas County. Andy sold the tavern a few years after the birth of his two (2) sons, and moved back to Western Washington. But he knew he wanted to continue with his own business.

 

While considering various business prospects, Andy worked at and managed various pizza establishments and learned about the business from dough balls to pizza sauces. It was during this time that Andy started dreaming of opening his own pizza restaurant. Andy knew that he wanted to do quality pizzas. Being a family man himself, Andy wanted his pizzas to be healthy, satisfying, and unique. He wanted the kind of pizza that would light up your taste buds and make for an enjoyable meal you are proud to serve.

 

Instead of starting his own pizza business right then, seems life had a few more roads for Andy to travel. Andy’s enthusiasm for sports, especially baseball, lead Andy to operating his own card shop. X-tra Point Sports Cards, located at Smokey Point, merchandized in sports cards and collectibles. Customers ranged from serious collectors to the “wide-eyed” younger crowd. Andy admits having a soft spot for the later. But no matter, old or young, you always got a fair deal.

 

In 2005 though, the time had come, it was now or never. Andy and his family scraped together every dime they could find, started acquiring all the necessary equipment, and looking for a place to put their pizza business. Still missing was a name. It had to be a name you could have fun with and it couldn’t be a Papa or Mama (enough of those already). Well, that’s what dreams are for. The name, MAJOR LEAGUE PIZZA, came to Andy in a dream. It was exactly the kind of name Andy and his family was looking for. It captured the warmth and spirit of “baseball and apple pie”, two of Andy’s favorite things. And it provided the fun the family was looking for…the entire menu was based around baseball terms and expressions. Names like The Bullpen (all meat), The Wave (Hawaiian-style), South Paw (taco), just to name a few.

 

Never letting go of his dream, Andy was ready to share his pizza creations, and to open the doors to MAJOR LEAGUE PIZZA. He knew if he was going to stay true to his aspiration of serving quality pizza it would take a lot of elbow grease and long hours. Quality doesn’t come easy. Making your own dough requires a lot of effort. But homemade and hand tossed can’t be beat. Using quality ingredients, lots of them, and prepping daily was a must. “Being family owned and operated, and with your reputation at stake, you have to cover all your bases.”

 

After four wonderful years at Smokey Point, when the lease fouled out, MAJOR LEAGUE PIZZA moved its home field to Colby Avenue in downtown Everett. Once again it was time to roll up the sleeves and haul out the paint brushes. MAJOR LEAGUE PIZZA re-opened in Everett on April 19, 2010.

 

Owning your own business can be crazy, exciting, and tiring. It can also be a lot of fun. As Andy puts it, “I work for myself, so I can’t fire myself and I can’t argue with myself. I can do my own thing, get creative and put whatever I can think of on a pizza.” The entire family helps out with the operations. We all work together, along with our employees, sharing in the fun and creating the latest combination(s).

 

While creating great tasting food that “Hits the spot!”, and talking baseball, are a big deal here at MAJOR LEAGUE PIZZA, more important are the customers. We have come to know so many of our customers on a first name basis. Many of our regulars from Arlington have followed us to Everett. Catching up with stories about life, kids, work, and of course baseball, along with great food are all part of life at MAJOR LEAGUE. We are enjoying life and fulfilling a dream!