New owners preserve, advance neighborhood pizza shop legacy
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Kael Merna cuts a Thanksgiving Pizza at Second Street Pizza in Frackville on Nov. 15, 2023.
FRACKVILLE – Go back 20 years, and it seems like every town had a neighborhood pizza shop or two, off the main street with their own following.
Armondo’s, Ann’s Variety, and for a short time, DiMaggio’s likely come to mind for those in Shenandoah, all three located progressively farther down West Coal Street. DiMaggio’s eventually moved from Glover’s Hill downtown.
Each existed alongside downtown staples, like Francesco’s and Little Venice, for years.
In Frackville, the equivalent was Little Anthony’s, a small shop on South Second Street, of no relation to Anthony’s downtown.
The shop was owned by Gerard Anthony from 1995 until 2021, and sold twice.
Kael Merna told the Sentinel last week that the shop nearly closed until the current owner, 2nd St. Pizza, LLC, purchased it.
It is now Second Street Pizza and, Merna, who worked in the shop as a teen before spending years at Anthony’s downtown, was brought on board to manage the shop day-to-day.
He credited the time spent at Anthony’s, learning “everything there is to know” from the owner there and was a father figure.
The new owner, Merna said, knew little about how to run a pizza shop, which is where he came in.
“It was either that or he was going to resell,” Merna said. “This place has shut its doors three times and I refuse to let any of my workers go without a job.”
“We’d hate to see this place close and not reopen,” Merna said, adding that someone who wanted to purchase the building wanted to raze it.
Merna said they are seeking to provide a quality product at a reasonable price, and have kept many of the staples Little Anthony’s had become known for, like Chicago-style deep dish pizzas each week.
Creative specials have been put on the menu, too, like the “Holiday Surprise Pizza” — essentially, everything from a Thanksgiving dinner, but on a pizza.
Merna is also open to ideas as well, and said he will try to satisfy any reasonable off-menu request.
He also said that the shop is hosting a holiday drive to sponsor a single mother’s Christmas holiday. Information for that is on the shop’s Facebook page.
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