This week's edition of Brick & Mortar Backstory celebrates family and the spirit of Christmas! The business name truly reflects this—"Brother’s Pizza Company." The Lowe brothers, Luke, Jack, John, Michael, Mark, and Brandon are the talented siblings behind this successful pizza shop. These brothers have been knitted into the community since 2013, when they first opened their doors at the corner of Market St and Green St.
The brothers had previously ventured into the pizza business but decided to step back to refine their business strategies
and recipes. They have always had a passion for making pizza, and each possesses a unique entrepreneurial spirit. With their individual strengths and a shared determination to succeed, they have come together to establish Brothers Pizza Company.
Brothers Pizza Company was established with a clear mission: family. Their motto is “Pizza for your family.” The Lowe’s are a close family and have many memories, especially from their middle school years, of “pizza and a movie” nights at home. Those nights were dedicated to enjoying quality time together as a family. The brothers aim to help other families create their own “pizza night” memories as well.
You may think it’s just a cheese pizza, but when you know their methods, it’s so much more! Creating exceptional pizza is a serious endeavor if you aim to do it right. Before establishing Brothers Pizza Company, the brothers dedicated time to crafting pizzas and sought guidance to perfect their craft. They had the opportunity to learn the art of pizza-making in a professional kitchen alongside a master baker from "Godfather’s Pizza." If you visit, you might catch Jack spinning pizza dough overhead in the kitchen! Additionally, the brothers prioritized sourcing some of the best ingredients. Stanislaus, a family-run business for 80 years, has provided the brothers with fresh canned tomatoes for their sauce. They also received training from Stanislaus to perfect their sauce recipe. Furthermore, they procured the finest cheeses available through Delco, an Italian specialty food supplier. The Lowe family is committed to providing the best for your family, taking meticulous care in every aspect of your pizza.
Operating a family business requires resilience, strong communication, and a shared vision. Everyone seems to say that you shouldn’t go into business with your family. However, the brothers have taken steps to keep work at work and home at home. I asked what advice they would give to other family businesses, either start-ups or established businesses. Mark advised that you set boundaries early. Each brother has a different opinion and perspective on business. Put someone in charge. There must be the tie breaker or the final decision maker. Everyone cannot have equal say, or decisions will never be made. This helps everyone to stay in their lane and keep the business moving forward.
Most important to the brothers is continuing to spend time together as a family away from the business. Mark shared that it is easy to get saturated in the business and you can leave your own family behind. Their solution to this is that every Saturday night they all come together for game night after they close the shop. With as many spouses, nieces and nephews as possible, they share pizza and dessert and blow off some steam from the week. It provides a chance to laugh, have fun, and team build in the process. They work at keeping the mission of family at the forefront of their lives.
Speaking of games, the brothers are actively engaged in creating their own games and are currently working on their creation of a tabletop role-playing game. They are in the revision phase and plan to publish their game, Garden Fall, which features gnomes, by February 2025. We are excited to see their idea come to life!
Brother's Pizza Company is deeply committed to our community. One of the most fulfilling aspects of running a business, according to Mark, is the opportunity to give back. He encourages other small businesses to actively engage with their communities. Rather than solely benefiting from the community where you sell your products, it's essential to invest some of that success back into it. Brothers Pizza Company has been host to many fundraisers for schools, sports teams, and local organizations, as well as so many families who have suffered illness or loss. They have a turkey giveaway each Thanksgiving season and this year they received donations to give away 20 turkeys!
“Christmas on Green St.”, an annual event created by Brothers Pizza Company, is another aspect of their giving back to our community. During the season of gift giving, the brothers hope to bring some joy to children in our own community and since 2013, Brothers Pizza Company has hosted “Christmas on Green St.”. This endeavor has grown from only 5 people showing up initially in 2013 to hundreds of people coming. “Christmas on Green St.” provides an opportunity for children to meet Santa Claus and pick out a toy of their choice. Brothers Pizza Company have set out a sleigh and have had a reindeer on site for kids to meet and feed. There are now lines around the building for this event and in 2024 they hope to give out hundreds of toys again this year. The brothers have now set up an entire room for the children to come and meet Santa, get pictures and pick out their own toy. There have been parents who share that the gift their child picked out was going to be their only Christmas that year.
Each year they have also given out two golden jingle bells to two special children. Santa has always found a certain child that he felt needed that bell. Just like in The Polar Express movie, the bell is a symbol of hope and believing. One year, a young girl went through the line and, after she picked her toy, she had one request of Santa; “Bring my dad home.” Santa felt that this girl needed that jingle bell and he gave it to her. Brothers Pizza Company sees the need for many children in the community to have a gift at Christmas and to have some joy and hope during this season.
Considering all the needs they have seen, Brothers Pizza Company is pursuing a non-profit status for “Christmas on Green St.”. Their hope is that this event will grow and offer more children the opportunity to choose a gift and meet Santa Claus. The brothers hope to have “Christmas on Green St.” be a full state approved non-profit organization. They are working on a 5-year plan to build this event even bigger.
This year “Christmas on Green St.” will be on Saturday, December 21st, from 3-6pm. Santa will once again be meeting children and having them choose a gift. Brothers Pizza Company is hoping to bring the Christmas cheer to Green St. and all of our community.
We are grateful to Brothers Pizza Company for their dedication to serving our community, not just this season, but throughout the year. The brothers provide delicious pizza for your family and contribute so much more to our downtown and local community.
Brother's Pizza Company is located at 205 E. Market St.
Hours: Monday - Saturday 11 am - 10 pm and Sundays Noon - 10 pm
Phone: 765-361-1800
You can see their menu and order online from their website.