Twenty months later - How is Niwot Pizza doing?

This October will have marked two years since long-time Niwot resident and businessman Craig "Lefty" Harris lost his life in a traffic accident at the intersection of the Diagonal Highway and Niwot Road. A little more than two months later, ownership of the beloved 2nd Avenue pizzeria that Harris left behind, was transferred to Maricela Vasquez and her husband, Lorenzo Villalobos, Harris' beloved employee who had worked for him for more than two decades. The transfer facilitated the community's desire, in the aftermath of Harris' passing, for the well-loved restaurant to not become another casualty of the accident. Since that time, some things have changed for the restaurant, including its name. It's now called https://niwotpizza.com/" target="_blank">Niwot Pizza, rather than Lefty's.

"Some people think it's not Lefty's anymore," Villalobos said. "But it is. We have the same people, making the same pizza everyone always loved." The seating areas both outside and inside the restaurant haven't changed either, so the location feels virtually untouched since Harris' passing.

He highlighted that overall, things with the business itself have gone well. "The business is ok, I don't have any issues. I was Lefty's right hand man, I learned very well how to work with him. It is really helping me now."

While he strives to be positive and is grateful for how things are going, Villalobos admits to a learning curve, gaining experience in employee management, managing utilities for the building, and working with suppliers. He's also making an effort to be sure the ingredients are as fresh as possible. He has changed suppliers when he found they weren't giving him the kinds of fresh ingredients he wanted to have for his pies.

On the list of things Villalobos wants to improve is the restaurant's website https://niwotpizza.com/ and he's actively identifying a vendor who might help him make changes. He encourages anyone interested to reach out to him through his restaurant to discuss what is needed. "I want to get that right. It's causing some confusion right now," he said.

Although Villalobos and his wife are managing the business well at the current time, one major change is looming in the restaurant's future. In April of 2023, commercial redevelopment of the lot the restaurant sits on, which would change it from a pizzeria to a dental office for Dr. Ashley Niles, DDS, was conditionally approved by the Boulder County Department of Community Planning & Permitting.

Although redevelopment of the location hasn't taken effect yet, Villalobos is aware of the upcoming change and is looking for another area location when it happens. "If I do have to move, I would like to stay in Niwot," he said. "I'm in the middle of where a lot of my customers are. I like that." Villalobos explained that he understood when he took over the business that an agreement indicated he would have a guaranteed six months to work out of Niwot Pizza's current building, and then he would occupy it on a month-to-month basis.

Since then, communication about the change hasn't been concrete. "Her [Ashley Niles'] husband asked me to look for another place back in April but they didn't have a date. So I couldn't do anything until they knew when I would be moving. I've asked them to tell me three months in advance, and I haven't heard anything."

In the meantime, customers are coming to the location as they always have, looking at it as a spot for lunches, dinners and takeout. On a recent Saturday early evening, Paula and Rick Iracki from Westminster were enjoying an early dinner. "We're here for a softball tournament for our granddaughters," Paula said. "One of them just won and we're going back to see her second game. We came here because the signs says 'Best Pizza in Boulder County' and we thought, 'why not?' We're glad we did."