We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brad & Christie Erickson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brad & Christie below.

Brad & Christie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My name is Christie Erickson. My husband Brad & I own Vitta Pizza. A local Wood-fired Neapolitan Pizzeria with two locations. One in Canal Park & one on Central Entrance in Duluth Minnesota. We both came from families of entreprenures. Growing up, we saw first hand how owning your own business is hard work. We saw the struggle, the hours they worked, the pressure. But somehow that did not snuff out the spark in us to create something of our own. Brad & I met in 7th grade. He was my first boyfriend. Fast forward, we both attended UMD graduating with a Bachelor in Business Adminstration. I went on to get my masters in Physical Therapy. While in college we both worked in restaurants. It where we learned the ropes of what it takes to be a good employee & run a successful restaurant. When Brad started talking about wanting to open his own restaurant, I was all in. I didn’t think twice. Why not! He was tired of working for THE MAN ! MEANWHILE, OUR VISION OF A RESTAURANT WAS ABOUT TO BECOME VERY CLEAR. On on a trip to Arizona in 2010, with our 2 year old daughter Luisa, we went to a coal fired pizza place. They gave Lulu, as we call her, a dough ball to play with. This gave Brad & I chance to actually talk. BTW we stole that dough ball idea & give out dough balls to littles to this day. We tasted a pizza cooked by fire for the first time ever. I’d never tasted a pizza so good! The slightly smoky, blistered crust & cheese gave such a deep flavor. We knew THIS flavor was what we wanted to bring back & share with Duluth. Next, we needed to narrow down the concept. We wanted clean, fresh, fast & easy. We wanted counter service to keep things simple. We researched & found Neapolitan Style Pizza cooks fast, in as little as 97 seconds in a wood-fired oven. Sounds perfect.

The rest happened very quickly. Brad boss at the time told Brad a tenant was closing in Canal Park & we should consider the spot. This was Dec 2010. It was the first & only location we looked at. Location, location, location as they taught us in business school. We knew we had to move quickly. We signed a letter of intent in Jan 2011. With the help of a brilliant architect we planned the space. Gutted it down to the dirt floor to add plumbing. A lot of sweat equity went into the space, mostly Brad’s, to save money. Unconventionally, Brad cashed in his 401K to fund our dream. Equipment was purchased with credit cards. WARNING, THIS IS NOT SOUND BUSINESS ADVICE! We ordered our 4000 # wood-fired oven from Naples Italy, Brad picked up a vespa on a road trip with his dad, hired an amazing team & Vitta Pizza opened in June of 2011 the week of Grandma’s marathon. Also not sound business advice.
The next few years were not easy. Brad worked more than full time at Vitta. I continued to work behind the scenes at Vitta & full time in healthcare to help cover bills & carry insurance. We were blessed with Jaeger, baby #2 in our second year of operation. Literally our hands were FULL, but we were happy. Due to our amazing team & lots of local support Vitta grew. We had 10% growth for 9 consecutive years. We were so thankful for the local support & our team. Brad was finally able to step away from the day to day & work ON the business & not IN it. We were ready for store #2.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The covid era brought convenience to the forefront. We envisioned a drive-up window concept to make it easy to grab & go a pizza. DRIVE UP PIZZA! We kept our eyes open for the perfect spot. After two years of searching for a great location, we were able to purchase a building on Central Entrance in June 2021. It was perfect for our vision. It had been a bakery years before & had an old covered up drive up window which is our drive up window today. After more sweat equity, again more of Brad’s than mine, another imported oven from Italy, another vespa on a road trip this time with lulu, & an amazing team Vitta Pizza Central Entrance opened in November 2022.
What started from a generation of entreprenurship & a chance visit to a pizzeria in Arizona has grown into our small business Vitta Pizza! I thank every customer & every employee past & present who help make Vitta what it is today. We are honored to be part of Duluth’s food culture—bringing families together, creating jobs, giving back to our community and adding flavor to city streets.
But we are just one of many amazing small businesses in our city. If you really want to understand Duluth—its heart, its resilience, and its future—you start with the small business scene. Business owners who decided that Duluth wasn’t just where they lived—it was where they would build something. These businesses keep dollars circulating locally, right here at home. These businesses pay for Little League uniforms, support our schools, donate to local fundraisers, and strengthen our neighborhoods.
And let’s be honest—running a small business is not easy.
It takes courage to start something here. It takes perseverance to survive long winters, seasonal tourism cycles, rising costs, and a competitive marketplace. Small business owners take real risks—not just financial risks, but personal ones. They invest their time, their savings, and their energy into something they believe will make their city better.
Please continue to support small businesses. Eat & shop small, not just during the holidays. Make intentional choices year-round. Choose to meet a friend at a local shop, buy a birthday gift from a small business & eat & drink at a locally owned establishment. You are supporting someone’s dream. When a small business succeeds, your town succeeds.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think my last paragraph answers resilience in a small town like Duluth MN :)

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We feel it’s so important to give back to the very community that supports us. We are fortunate to be able to do so. We sponsor little league & local sports teams. We donate to silent auctions & help hold fundraisers. Our customers notice & thank us for being involved. We grew up here & our kids are growing up here. It’s so important to us. I believe that builds a reputation of trust, involvement, & caring in our community,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vittapizza.com
• Instagram: @vittapizza
• Facebook: @vittapizzacanalpark @vittapizzacentralentrance
• Yelp: Vitta Pizza