By Danielle Ray
Landmark correspondent
STERLING — Linda LeBlanc and Anjelica Stapinski are thrilled to be joining the list of town business owners with the launch of Sterling Centre Pizza, the fruition of a dream years in the making.
“Everyone is very supportive, and everyone is so excited,” Stapinski said while sitting next to LeBlanc at the shop on a recent Tuesday afternoon. The two were talking about the reaction to their new endeavor, which opened to customers July 5.
The two met while working at C&M Pizza in Leominster, which had a second location for four years in the Main Street spot Sterling Centre Pizza occupies. LeBlanc, who lives in Ashburnham, worked at C&M for 30 years, and Barre resident Stapinski was an employee there for several years until she branched out into accounting.
“I missed that interaction with people,” Stapinski, who recently turned 30, expressed about her time away from the food industry.
The women admitted that they hadn’t slept in days, as they had been “working very hard” to clean the shop in preparation for opening. The new signage installed last month drew quite a bit of attention.
“All the hard work is going to pay off,” Stapinski said, adding that members of the Sterling Fire Department and Board of Health have been in to greet them.
They are offering a traditional pizza shop menu and include vegan and gluten free offerings. They also plan to add “healthier options” and are going to put out a suggestion box to get ideas of what people want.
“We are very much open to suggestions,” LeBlanc said. “I’ve always listened to people.”
The shop’s social media is a work in progress. For now, people can reach them at 978-893-6076 or sterlingcentrepizza@gmail.com; to place an order, call 978-422-0003.
They said they have talked about opening a pizza shop together for six years. Both are excited to be their own bosses.
“I’m finally doing what I want,” LeBlanc said, and Stapinski chimed in that she is “really excited to be doing this with her.”
“We made the dream come true.”
