Even though Charleston will have 13 pizza places, after Papa Murphy’s and Villa Pizza come to town in the next few months, other Charleston pizzeria owners say the new arrivals are welcome.

Papa Murphy’s will be located at 413 Lincoln Avenue in the new Griffin Plaza.

Lindsi Miller, Corporate Communications Manager for Papa Murphy’s, said they will open their store in early January.

“Papa Murphy’s is a very different concept than the traditional pizza company,” Miller said. “We do take-and-bake pizza so the pizza that the customers bring home to their family is unbaked. We allow them to bake it right there in their own oven so they can have it when it’s ready.”

Miller compared Papa Murphy’s interior to a subway line.

“The pizzas move down the line as toppings are put on it,” Miller said. “Papa Murphy’s pizza is fairly inexpensive compared to pre-made and pre-cooked pizzas. We don’t have ovens in our store so we don’t have to add the cost to the pizza to pay for those ovens.”

Villa Pizza, which originated in Mattoon, is also expanding to Charleston.

Jonathan Arena, owner of Villa Pizza, said the new store would be called Big Tony’s after his father.

Big Tony’s will be opening sometime in November in the place of the former Blimpie’s restaurant.

Paul Pagliagi, owner of Pagliagi’s Pizza, says even though Charleston will have two more pizzerias, business will be fine.

“Over the years different places have come and gone, but I think people are eating out more now so they can probably absorb the business and everything will be fine,” Pagliagi said.

Owner of Boxa Pizza Traci Boksa agrees. “Competition is always good,” she said. “That’s what keeps business going. I think we have a lot of pizza places in town, but there are also a lot of college students in town and that is the main food,” Boksa. “The more the merrier.”

Boksa said she doesn’t think franchises threaten independent owners like herself and Pagliagi.

“I think we have a lot more to offer than the franchises do. We can do special orders and help with special events and things like that that. Sometimes franchises have to go through a lot of red tape with corporations,” Boksa said. “Any new business coming into Charleston is always welcome in my opinion. It’s always good to have new places and new ideas and more options for the students and for the community.”