Photo by Eric Ayres Siblings Fabio and Marianne Cracolici have officially relocated the family pizzeria business Fabio’s Pizza to Main Street in Center Wheeling, opening a new chapter for the business that had operated for three decades inside the Ohio Valley Mall.

WHEELING — It’s been a whirlwind start for Fabio’s Pizza at its new Wheeling location, as the Friendly City has welcomed the longtime Ohio Valley pizzeria with open arms.

Late last month, Fabio’s Pizza closed the doors of its Ohio Valley Mall location in St. Clairsville, where the family business has operated for three decades. It took many months of planning and preparing for the big move, but the long-awaited relocation to Wheeling has officially taken place over the past few days.

Fabio’s Wheeling launched a soft opening last Friday at its new location at 1920 Main St. on the north end of Center Wheeling, and an official opening was held Monday of this week. On Tuesday, owner Marianne Cracolici stepped away from the busy lunch crowd to speak to the Wheeling Rotary Club about the move … and the big splash the business has already made since coming to town.

“It’s very busy — which has been the norm so far since we’ve been here,” she said. “This is the busiest we’ve been since before COVID. We’ve been busier the last two days than we’ve been in five years.”

With Marianne Cracolici’s brother and father as partners, the family business brought their entire crew from the St. Clairsville location to the new shop, located in an historic building that most recently housed Discount Building Supplies 2, and before that, the Sweet Dreams Mattress Factory.

Originally from Sicily, Marianne’s father Tom Cracolici came to America and began working in a pizza establishment in New Jersey before moving to Indiana and eventually settling in Ohio. He operated three restaurants in the Scotto’s Pizza franchise, including locations in Cleveland and the Akron/Canton area.

“They went out of business,” Marianne Cracolici explained. “We just kept the St. Clairsville location because it was the most profitable. And we named it Fabio’s after my brother.”

Fabio’s Pizza has rented space at the mall for decades, but the opportunity to expand the business led them purchase the Wheeling property. Local architect Wendy Scatterday helped them with the transformation of the two-story Main Street building and incorporate their vision for the new restaurant.

“Wendy was very accommodating to all of our ideas and images, and has always been very helpful,” Marianne Cracolici said. “We now have a new Fabio’s Wheeling. Today’s day two of operation, and everybody has been so kind and gracious.”

Fabio’s operates from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday for now. But once the initial opening blitz settles down a bit and the crew gets its bearings straight working in the new establishment, exciting things are expected to be introduced in the future.

The business is in the process of obtaining its liquor license, opening a bar and participating in the city’s new PODA district. New signage is being installed, outdoor dining will soon open and an event banquet hall is expected to be finished upstairs in the future.

Plans down the road also include an expanded menu, but for now, it’s the tried and true Fabio’s Pizza menu that includes calzones, subs, antipasto salads and a variety of signature pizzas.

“We make everything from scratch,” Marianne Cracolici said. “We grate our cheese, we make our dough, we slice all of the meats and vegetables — everything is fresh.”

As always, there are daily pasta specials such as lasagna, stuffed shells and chicken Florentine, served with a salad and hot garlic buttered rolls. The new dining area seats up to 70 people.

“My dad started Fabio’s at the mall 30 years ago,” Marianne Cracolici said. “He’s worked very hard. He’s instilled that work ethic in me and my brother, and hard work and dedication has paid off to get us to this point.”

The dedicated staff has also helped bring the new venture to life, with the whole St. C. crew — some of whom have been with the business for most of the 30 years — all aboard.

“We’re still a team — we still do everything together,” Marianne said of her brother, father and crew. “All of the staff that we have — it’s like family. Everybody came, and everybody was very excited. This was a nice change.”

She added that they miss the regular customers and maintenance staff from the mall, but are excited to welcome the many new faces in the new neighborhood. And there have been plenty.

In fact, online orders, third-party delivery service and even phone orders during peak times have been put on hold until the opening rush settles down.

“It’s a lot all at once, but everyone has been very understanding,” she said. “It’s really great to be in Wheeling.”