When Shawna Buness learned that Nic Martin planned to sell Nic’s Place last fall, she saw a natural opportunity. By June 5, she transformed the Front Street space into Firehouse Pizzeria.

As the owner of Sweet Tides Bakery next door, Buness said the proximity clinched her choice.

“It just made sense to keep the buildings together,” she said. “It seemed like a smart decision.”

Nic’s Place maintained a dedicated following, and Buness is familiar with the food industry and its unique hurdles.

“Actually, the pizza is easier to produce than everything we make at Sweet Tides,” she said. “But the bakery is deli-style, and people can just grab what they want to buy. With the pizzeria, everything is made to order. So that is a little bit challenging.”

To manage that challenge, Buness closely tracks the time it takes to prepare and serve each meal.

“We’re getting better. We’re getting faster,” she said.

Buness lacked pizza-making experience before taking over the shop but found inspiration at home through her 15-year-old daughter, Stella Buness.

“Stella started making her own pizzas at home. She made her own crust and everything,” Shawna Buness said. “And she has been working here, along with another 15-year-old, Jordan Hayes. They’re both doing a great job. Stella handled a lunch rush when we had a cruise ship the other day. I’m proud of her.”

Preserving a few favorite menu options from the previous establishment was important to the new owner.

“We kept the Pompei and the Greek pizzas. We kept the cheesy bread and we definitely kept the ranch (dressing) that he used,” she said. “We did change the recipe of the crust, and we will continue to make adjustments as we go.”

New items have also joined the lineup, including a dill pickle pizza that quickly gained popularity.

“We also started selling milk shakes and nachos,” Buness said.

Selecting the establishment’s new name was a straightforward process rooted in family tradition.

“My husband, Jordan, is the fire chief, and his father and grandfather were both also fire chief at one time,” she said. “And everyone in our immediate family is either on the fire department or has worked with the fire department at one time.”

Firehouse Pizzeria currently operates Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch, and from 4:30 to 8 p.m. for dinner.

“Once I can get more help here, I hope to start being open on Tuesdays,” Buness said. “The plan is to continue to grow in the near future — both the menu and the hours.”