Visitors to the Shops at Malta may have plenty of choices when it comes to finding a bite to eat, but those who choose Jimmy’s Pizza Shop will find they now get something extra with their pie: a slice of Malta history.
Jimmy and Judy Berg have decided to make their walls home to a selection of photos that span the history of the town. The idea came about as owner and operator Jimmy Berg was remodeling the restaurant.
I thought it would be a nice idea to tie in the history of the area, said Berg. `I think it’s interesting; the stories of the old times.`
The photos run the gamut from the founding days of the town in the seventeenth century to the present day. One will find pictures of the crews who constructed nearby Route 9 in the 1910s, a photo of the Round Lake Library before it was consumed by a fire in 1921 and an 1891 map of Ballston Spa. These representations of yesteryear don’t sit far from aerial photos of the roundabouts on Route 67 and Route 9, a more recent addition to area history.
`It’s really a mix of everything,` said Berg. He hopes to add even more pictures to the wall in the coming months.
Assisting with that task will be Malta Town Historian Teri Gay. The Bergs came to her looking for pieces of Malta history, and she was kind enough to open up her archives for them.
`I was just very pleased at how sincerely they seemed to want to create a homage to the way of life in Malta,` said Gay. `I can’t say that I’ve even gotten such a request, and it’s something that I really applaud.`
This coming July will be the restaurant’s seventh year as Jimmy’s Pizza; for five years prior it was known as Venezia Pizza and was operated by Jimmy’s brother who, according to Jimmy Berg, `taught me everything I know about the pizza business.`
Berg continues to keep the business a family affair ` his daughter currently works at the restaurant and he plans to bring his 13-year-old son into the fold in the future.
The response to the display has been positive with both natives and visitors. Jimmy Berg hopes that as the summer continues, more travelers from New York looking for a slice of Brooklyn-style pizza will also get a dose of local history.
Locals appreciate a flashback as well.
`Some customers do recognize some pictures, and they have a story to tell,` said Judy Berg. `With the town changing so fast, it’s nice to remember.“