The town has seen a lot of pizzarias come and go since Village Pizza opened its doors more than 50 years ago in 1961 in the center of Greenfield.
“If you put your heart into it, you can succeed, but it takes hard work.” said Betty Gioules, daughter of George Balis, who moved from a small farm in Nestani in southern Greece to the United States in 1966. After working at Wonderbread in East Hartford for eight years, Balis bought the pizza place, which is at 42 Bank Row. Two years later, his wife, Eleni Balis, and three kids, Betty, John and Chris, also moved from Greece into Franklin County.
George Balis is now 81 and Eleni Balis is now 86.
“We didn’t even know what pizza was,” Gioules said, explaining that her father came up with the recipe — which hasn’t changed since the family took over — entirely on his own.
Unlike Italian style pizza, she said that Village Pizza’s recipe is pan-stretched.
“My father just invented it himself. We make it all fresh every day, the dough, the lasagna,” Gioules continued. “Nothing secret, it’s just a lot of hard work and consistency.”
On Wednesday behind the counter, Gioules interpreted for her parents, who can’t speak English well, as she sprinkled cheese on pizzas, answered the phone and made sandwiches.
A tangible sense of belonging and friendliness mixes with the scent of fresh pizza at the restaurant. Pictures of Greece adorn the walls around the seating area, and customers exchange familiar conversation at the counter — these are good people who work really hard.
It’s easy to see why the business has seen so much success.
Through the years, generations of customers have watched the town evolve and change through the large glass windows, the restaurant’s perch.
After the family moved from Greece, running the pizzaria became a family affair. Gioules said she started working for her father, and next to her mother, as a teenager.
“Me and my ma used to work together during the day shift,” she reminisced. “She pulled 12, 14 hour days. She was a very hard worker.”
After about 15 years running the business, George Balis passed the business down to his kids.
Today, Gioules co-owns Village Pizza with her brother, Chris Balis. About five years ago, the third brother, John Balis, stepped out of the family business.
Betty Gioules said the reason for the business’s longevity is emloyee loyalty and customer loyalty, earned through a lot of hard work.
“I want to stress loyal customers. Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” she said, adding that employee loyalty has also hugely contributed to the business’s success.
At 6:30 a.m. every day, just like she has for the past 10 years, Gioules arrives to make dough and get a head start on the day — a big reason why the family-owned business has managed to open its doors seven days a week.
“The only time we close is for vacation, two weeks in August. That’s it,” she said. “We’ve only been doing that for five years. Before that, my father didn’t believe in vacations.”
Along with pizza, the restaurant offers mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings and salad, among other offerings on the menu. Customers can pick up in-house or order delivery. A few years ago, the business overhauled and remodeled its seating area, adding TVs and sprucing things up.
While George and Eleni Balis are retired now, George still occasionally comes in to make pizzas.
Gioules said her parents are thankful for all the support the community has given Village Pizza.
“I see people who’ve been coming in here for years.”
You can reach Andy Castillo at acastillo@recorder.comor 413-772-0261, ext. 263. On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo