Pizza Factory owners Nick and Maria Fitsemon are a staple in the Kingston community.

I know that when my family was in a time of need they were right there to help support us in any way that they could. This is the type of people they are and the type of business Kingston needs.

The Fitsemons became residents of Kingston in October 2002 with the intention of raising their family here.

They fell in love with the hometown feel and friendly passersby. The events and festivities were the biggest reasons Nick and Maria decided to stay and grow their family in Kingston.

The Pizza Factory Family consists of Nick, “the Pizza Guy,” Maria and their four children: Aslynn, 11; Aidan 7; Aaron, 5; and Aniken, 4. All of their children except for Aslynn were born at Harrison Medical Center’s Bremerton campus.

This is something that puts a smile on both Nick and Maria’s faces.

“I love that my children will grow up here and my children’s children will do the same,” Maria said.

As a fairly new family to Kingston, they are able to see this town with fresh eyes and a new prospective. What they would like to see in the future of Kingston is the residents of this town pull together and help support one another by working together to make Kingston successful.

They hope residents will see how important it is to spend their money locally to keep businesses in business and to recognize the businesses that give back to the community.

“Our town has a lot to offer and it would be great to get new faces out in the crowds and to our down-home events,” Maria said.

Nick’s lifelong dream of owning and running a restaurant spurred the Fitsemons’ decision to become business owners.

Pizza Factory has been in Kingston for almost 20 years. Nick and Maria saw opportunity to improve the quality of the restaurant and jumped at the chance to acquire it. They took over as owners in 2007.

“Unfortunately we’ve taken a bit of a hit with the effects of the economy but we are still here and not going anywhere,” Nick said.

In the next five years the Fitsemons would like to have a location down by the waterfront so that can tap into the ferry traffic business. The more revenue they can build, the more that they can give back. Their ultimate goal is to be able to put more into this community.

When it comes to owning their own business they have both learned that it’s hard work and a huge sacrifice to give up time with their children.

“We are teaching them a work ethic and teaching them to cherish the time we do have together,” Maria said.

Maintaining a close family bond is the hardest part of being in business as a young couple. It is the time away from their kids that is the biggest struggle but they say they have finally reached a point where they can take out time to spend as a family.

Showing how important the community is to them, the Fitsemons use their business to support a number of causes. They contribute pizza to Kingston High School to help raise money for school functions, they sponsor several sports teams each year and try to keep all of their donations local so that they can see the effects of their efforts.

To the Fitsemons, schools are the most important. There are times they had to put a cap on what they are able to give away due to cost but they always keep the schools as the major priority.

They have also done fundraisers for local families. They are always going the extra mile for this community. As I see it, I think it is fine time to begin going the extra mile for them. The next time your school or cause wants to do a fundraiser think of the Pizza Factory.

The Fitsemons maintain the Pizza Factory would not be in Kingston if there weren’t dedicated customers who continue to come back. Even if the pizza shop makes a human error and messes up an order, the dedication Kingston shows them keeps them operating, they say.

Stacey Goodrich blogs at http://kingstongirlie.blogspot.com. Follow her on Twitter at kingstongirlnew find her on Facebook at Kingston Girlnews, or write her at kingstongirlnews@gmail.com.