WILLIAMSTOWN -- The Anagnos family, owners of Colonial Pizza on Main Street, have until March 31 to raise $29,000 to fulfill their dream of 15 years: moving back to Spring Street.
Ted Anagnos, the oldest son of founders Constantine and Eleni Anagnos, turned to Kickstarter, a website that allows anyone to pitch in to fund creative projects, to raise the capital for the move. Some of the many successfully funded Kickstarter projects include public gardens, food trucks and a self-cleaning fish tank that grows food.
Funding from Kickstarter projects is all-or-nothing, meaning if people like the Anagnos family raise just a dollar less than their set goal, no backers are charged.
Anagnos said he's excited about the idea of his family's business returning to the town's main business district after an absence of nearly 15 years.
"I like the energy of Spring Street, it's got a life to it," he said.
Colonial Pizza was in a space on Spring Street for 25 years, Anagnos said, before a fire in the spring of 1998 forced the family to move the operation to Colonial Plaza on Main Street.
"This was only going to be a temporary move for us," he said.
Since opening on Main Street, Anagnos said the business has sustained the strong following it has for years. And while they still do a lot of business with deliveries to college students, the number of walk-ins is much lower, he said. He added he thinks Spring Street still has
"We used to be open until 3 a.m. on weekends. There was a pulse on the street," he said.
The $29,000 would be used to secure a space, Anagnos said, but added it's just to get the project off of the ground.
The pizzeria was founded in 1971, three years after Constantine and Eleni Anagnos immigrated to the U.S. from Greece. Since it first opened, he said, the same values have been honored.
"You treat the customer like a family member," he said, something instilled in him and the other employees by his father. "And the dough hasn't changed in 42 years. We only use seven ingredients for our dough."
However, if the Kickstarter campaign is successful, Anagnos said there are some changes he'd like to see at the new location.
"We'd streamline the menu some," he said. "We were also thinking of offering smoothies, using good fruit and yogurt."
He added a big goal is going green -- things such as cleaning supplies, paper products and furnishings would all be environmentally friendly. And down the line, he'd like to see the business do bike deliveries to Williams College as well.
"Around Spring Street, you can get somewhere on bike just as fast as you could in a car," he said.
Backers will be rewarded for their donation, he added. Those who donate $25 or more will receive a free slice of pizza and a drink at the new location. And backers who donate up to $2,000 will receive a hand-written thank you from the family, a copy of the family's baklava recipe and a voicemail greeting on their phone by Constantine himself.
To visit Colonial Pizza's Kickstarter page, visit www.tinyurl.com/cufs8uc.
To reach Edward Damon, email
edamon@thetranscript.com.
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