By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — Frankie’s Slots plans to build an addition onto its building at North Second Street and Parkway Avenue to help turn the gaming parlor into a new pizzeria.
The addition will turn the slot parlor into the second location for Frankie’s Pizzeria, which opened in late summer 2022 at 6935 11th St., suite 1, in New Milford. Owner Valerie Pobjecky said once the buildout is complete the name will change, likely to Frankie’s North or Frankie’s Pizza and Slots.
“Food connects people. That’s what I want people to be able to experience here,” said Pobjecky, a native of Puerto Rico who also teaches Spanish at Rockford Christian. “Making that addition to the building would allow us to bring the food, the soul and the heart of what happens when you’re eating.”
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Pobjecky said opening the pizzeria was the goal before Frankie’s Slots opened at 5919 N. Second St. in summer. It opened as a slot parlor as a stepping stone before it could build the kitchen and add food service.
The plan calls for building an approximately 500-square-foot addition onto the property for a commercial kitchen. The goal is to open by summer.
This week City Council members agreed to offer help in the development. Aldermen approved tax-increment finance district funding with a maximum reimbursement of $50,000 to go toward the project.
“They already have a successful business in New Milford and we’re hoping they can come into Loves Park and have another one just like it,” Mayor Greg Jury said.
TIF districts capture increases in property tax revenue that come when property values rise into a special fund that can be used to pay for infrastructure or business improvements. Loves Park has seven such districts, including three industrial jobs recovery TIFs.
The most recent awards in this North Second Street TIF were to aid Easy Tiger’s rebuild of the former Ojeda’s at 411 E. Riverside Blvd., the redevelopment of the former Tussing’s Tile & Floor, 5545 N. Second St., which is now ROTD Crafter’s Corner, and future roof repairs to the business center at 6125 N. Second St.
“It’s part of what we would call our downtown area,” Jury said. “We obviously have been very successful in development throughout the city, but we would like to spread that out more than just the Perryville/Riverside corridor.”
Pobjecky, who came here in 2014, said family pizza nights were an important gathering time growing up in Puerto Rico. She said nearly every Friday night her father would come home with a pepperoni and sausage pizza for the family to share.
Now, she’ll be serving pizza and sandwiches that come from her mother-in-law’s recipes.
“Family is very important to me. Bringing this and sharing this with the community means a lot, it takes me back to memories every Friday with my parents,” she said. “It’s all about love. Everything that we put in our food is love and dedication.”
Frankie’s is named for her husband, Frank Pobjecky, a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy who recently ran for county board. They have three children together, but initially wanted a larger family, she said. When they couldn’t have any more children, she said she made a promise to name her future business after him.
He owns the Loves Park building under the name Pyzon LLC. She owns and operates both the New Milford and Loves Park businesses.
“Family is very important to me. Bringing this and sharing this with the community means a lot, it takes me back to memories every Friday with my parents,” she said. “I’m hoping Loves Park is going to be the same or an even bigger success, and that way we can keep connecting and impacting more cities and uniting more families.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas