STORM LAKE, Iowa - Before the new downtown Walgreen's opened in late January 2008 at the intersection of Lake and Milwaukee avenues, several businesses relocated to make way for the new Walgreen's.
One of them was Honey Kissed Pizza which moved to a downtown corner location at 701 Lake Ave., the main business district street.
"That was a great move for us and we are very happy about the location," said owner/operator Randy Harrington. "We have a lot more space and this new location means we have more offerings, including a buffet, salad bar and much more seating."
The previous location had very little seating and was mostly carry-out and delivery. When Harrington and his family first came to Storm Lake, they had a Breadeax pizza parlor on that site.
"When I left that franchise, we experimented with a dash of honey to the pizza crust and liked the results," Harrington recalled. "My wife, Ronda, and I were thinking of names and I said 'Honey Crust' pizza, but my wife said 'no' and suggested 'Honey Kissed' pizza. That is the name we used and now we are in our 17th year in the pizza business in Storm Lake. We are currently advertising our 20-year sale."
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The new location also has room for displaying 200 record album covers from Harrington's collection, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.
"I also have 300 more downstairs," he added.
There is often 1960s music playing and there is a poster from a 1968 Jefferson Airplane concert Harrington attended in Houston, Texas, a poster from the 1999 Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Spectacular at the Roof Garden in Arnolds Park, and a 1976 KISS Summer Tour poster.
"They were performing at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, N.J. Tickets were $10 in advance and $12 day of show," Harrington noted..
There is also a poster of Albert Einstein and its caption, Harrington said, expresses his philosophy of life, "Imagination Is More Important than Knowledge."
Restaurant seating includes tables and chairs, right by the front window and high-backed booths. Retro games include Ms. Pac-Man, Skittleball and Skeeball.
Harrington's wife works at the business along with the couple's two daughters, Ryanne, 19, and Rylee, 17. The two sisters created a pizza called "Sisters' Pizza," a combination of pepperoni, sauerkraut, pineapple and hot sauce. There are a total of 17 speciality pizzas on the menu. The pizza restaurant also has various side dishes like potato wedges, mozzarella sticks, breadsticks, chicken wings and more.
Honey Kissed Pizza also offers the long-time tradition of buy one and get one free. The Honey Kissed crust is made with extra virgin olive oil, whole wheat flour and honey. A super thin crust called Antonio Garcia also is offered.
Harrington and his business have been featured on Pop Chef, a cable television show produced through Buena Vista University that takes a light-hearted, fun look at food and cooking.
Harrington is a strong supporter of Storm Lake's Awaysis project and King's Pointe Resort and Waterpark.
"Having them here is one of the main differences from a thriving town or a stagnant one," he said.
He was one of the four nominees in 2008 for Business Person of the Year in Storm Lake through the Storm Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Storm Lake Area Development Corp.
Honey Kissed Pizza is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call (712) 732-2222 or log onto www.hon eykissedpizza.com.
