After graduating from the Los Alamos MainStreet Business Accelerator earlier this year, Erin Gentry and Alyssa Gill, owners of Pi-239 Pizzeria in Los Alamos, New Mexico, got off to a successful start in farmers’ markets over the summer. But what they really needed was a permanent home for their mobile startup, a spot where foot traffic was guaranteed year-round. They found it in early December.
Through a collaboration with SALA Event Center, a community space for classic and first-run movies, business conferences, birthday parties and more, Pie-239 has begun offering its pies on a regular basis every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Working with SALA will help my business,” Gentry said. “Having a consistent place to work from, having regular hours, and drawing from SALA’s clientele is a big step forward. We hope to draw customers to SALA as well. We also hope to see many familiar faces from the clientele we built at the Farmers’ Market over the past season.”
At SALA, Pi-239’s customers can enjoy pizza while they watch a movie, attend an event or hang out in the lobby with friends and family prior to an event. Even if they’re not attending an event, they can drop by Pi-239 for lunch or dinner and take a pizza home.
In addition to Pi-239’s regular hours, Gentry said they’ll offer pizzas for SALA events at other times.
“The community wants more options, and together with Erin’s business, we are responding to that,” SALA owner Allan Saenz said. “I was approached by the folks at LACDC, who had worked with Erin in their Business Accelerator Program. They told me that Erin needed a place to do business. I know firsthand how difficult it is to find an affordable place, so Erin and I have worked out what we believe will be a mutually beneficial collaboration.”
In Pi-239’s debut season at a local farmers’ market this past summer, Gentry said, “Most days we would be sold out by noon.”
Orders must be placed in person at SALA; no phone or internet orders are currently accepted. But, Gentry said, “We have a pretty quick prep time, so we can typically turn around orders in no more than 10 or 15 minutes, depending on how many customers we have at once.”
Working with the Los Alamos MainStreet Business Accelerator helped Gentry refine his business model, develop a marketing strategy and connect with the local community. But Pi-239 is prepared to adapt over time to customer needs.
“Erin and I have talked about learning from our experience and adjusting our collaboration and services as needed,” Saenz said. “We hope to get it right from the beginning, but we also ask for patience as we try to develop something new for our community.”
