Why Newport?

Hey, everyone! It's Taryn here and, man, I have SO much to tell you all. It's really exciting to have the platform to share our story, struggles and our victories with you, because it's you that gives us the opportunity to keep doing what we do! This blog is a place where I intend to write about our business and our journey to getting to this place. I'm going to preface this by saying I am NOT a professional writer or grammatician so don't judge me, OK?

So, why Newport?

My husband Michael, you can call him Mike, and I started down this road in the end of 2013 when we discovered this opportunity to open up a shop here in Newport. He's from Harrisburg and I was born and raised in Duncannon. Neither of us really new what a great community we were going to be a part of, and great community is an understatement.

Mike worked for the family that owned most of the Brothers Pizzas around Harrisburg for almost a decade and decided he wanted to venture out on his own and give it a shot. We had no capital sitting in a bank account, no equipment and, quite honestly, no business having this opportunity to open what is now Brother's Pizzeria Newport. God saw fit for us to do it even when we hadn't the slightest idea how we could make it work. We trusted that since He opened the doors, He would meet every need along the way. I also have to say that Mike is crazy resourceful and doesn't take no for an answer.

So, we opened our doors with hopes that Newport would embrace us... and you so have. We love you guys! We've met some of the most incredible people who've become more like friends than customers. Over the years, we've gone through ups and downs like anyone else and you've stuck by us.

Running a small business is "sexy" and made out to be glamorous in our culture today. I'll let you in on something you may already know. It's not. There's nobody else to blame when a customers is disappointed or angry. Your heart is so invested in everything you do that a mistake feels like a personal failure. There's a paradox in wanting every.single.customer to be thrilled with their food and experience, and knowing that not every person will be. The bills add up even when the weeks are slow and payroll keeps on rolling even when we're not. But it is incredibly rewarding. Every drop of effort is an investment, and that's pretty awesome. Every time we walk through the doors we feel a sense of pride in our ownership because we've built this, with God's help, from the ground up.

That said, when we say "thank you", we mean it from the bottom of our hearts because we can't do it without you.

I wanted to share my heart with you and encourage you in pursuing your dreams and goals. Things don't have to look "perfect" and timing doesn't have to be ideal for you to make your move. Did you hear me when I said we had NO money sitting in a bank to start our shop? Seriously, do what you love. Start small and set goals. I didn't really intend for this blog to be a platform for motivational speaking but if our story can inspire you, we're honored.

Thanks for listening, and for being such a great community, Newport. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve you for years to come!