By now, you are probably familiar with Maker Pizza, the pizzeria which opened over the summer down the street from Montclair High School on the corner of Chestnut and Forest Streets. Since school opened its doors in September, Maker Pizza has been an immensely popular spot for students, who go there during lunch and after school to grab some pizza.

Maker Pizza was started by two brothers, Mustafa and Ahmet Demirpence. Their journey began all the way across the world in Turkey, moving to America in 2013. A couple years later, they opened their first pizzeria in downtown Philadelphia. Their location was a big success, and they were able to open three more stores.

However, in 2020, hard times hit when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world, and the Demirpence brothers had no choice but to close three out of the four of their locations, including the original Maker Pizza, where the current one in Montclair gets its namesake. The one that remains, Founded Pizzaria, is still open in Philadelphia.

They chose Montclair as their new location, attracted by its location and vibe.

“I like this area. It’s nice, clean, close to my house, too. Quiet, people are nice, respectable, you know?” Ahmet Demirpence said. Demirpence also cited how he was tired of Philly and wanted to try to open shop somewhere new. “I don’t like Philly anymore,” he said.

Maker Pizza is now located where the iconic  Ruthie’s Barbeque used to be.

Although Montclair was an ideal spot, opening Maker Pizza did not come without its challenges.

“You had to wait for a few things like renovation, because it was such a big mess…” Ahmet said.

The brothers had to fix the place up a lot, including replacing the counters, oven, and floor, as well as painting the walls. He also reminisced of the immense work that it took to clean out the basement, “It took like fifty bags of trash and then 34 trucks of that stuff you know?”

But in the end, Demirpence said it has been worth it.

“I like pizza. It’s … easy.” He also brought up its quick making process.

“ We can make a piece that takes like eight minutes almost.” At Maker, they cook their pizzas in their favorite oven brand, Marcelo and Sons. They use their recipe, which they have perfected over the years, with an emphasis on thin crust and only the freshest ingredients, no exceptions.

“You don’t want to eat cheap stuff…You want to make money in life, you gotta spend money.” Ahmet’s ideology on pizza is that, “It should be like a snack…not a meal.”

Ahmet expected the popularity with the High School, but didn’t have too many concerns about the customers. “We provide nice food, honest work, everything will work. You have to treat your customers really good though.” Although he cited some complaints that he heard about the customers that came to Ruthie’s when that is what was in that spot, he firmly believed that if they treat their customers well, the customers will return the favor.

Ahmet said that before he opens any new locations, he and his team need to perfect Maker Pizza. “First we have to get this place set up perfectly.” Some of their plans for the future include a secondary oven to make pizza creations more efficiently and renovating the counter.