ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The husband-and-wife team behind a much-loved pizza business – known for popping up at local breweries, wineries and distilleries over the past six years – is continuing to grow operations with a new brick-and-mortar shop in Lehigh County.
Brian and Jess Macker, founders and owners of Local Stone, on Wednesday held a soft opening of their business’ new artisan pizza shop at 446 N. 15th St. in Allentown.
Local Stone’s new pizza shop operates at 446 N. 15th St. in Allentown.
Ryan Kneller
The shop is open 4-7 p.m. Thursday, with additional soft opening hours to be announced through Sunday, the Mackers stated on the business’ social media pages.
The shop accepts walk-in and online orders through the business’ website, localstoneallentown.com. Delivery is also available.
Local Stone’s new pizza shop occupies an updated space at the southwest corner of 15th and Liberty streets that was previously home to Willy Joe’s, a hot dog shop that closed in 2025 after 80 years of business.
The Mackers are excited to expand Local Stone’s operations and further serve the Lehigh Valley community at a permanent location.
The Lower Macungie Township couple established Local Stone in 2020, originally offering their pizzas via contactless pick-ups at their home during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During COVID, we were always looking for something to keep everybody sane, including the children,” Brian told 69 News.
“So, we would find places that were doing food pick-ups. We’d drive to Philadelphia, Manayunk or wherever to get a pizza from someone who was offering one that day. That’s kind of what led to us making our own pizza because we were all at home. It kind of started off as a joke. Our friends were like, ‘You should sell these on Friday nights because everybody’s home.’ That’s exactly what we ended up doing, and it just grew organically from there.”
Local Stone
The Mackers, who both have previous experience in the food-service industry, are longtime pizza fans and regularly enjoy the dish on weekends with their family.
In establishing Local Stone, the couple aimed to offer a variety of signature pizzas, each hand-crafted with premium ingredients.
Selections like “The Stone” (signature sauce and three-cheese blend), “The Clink” (signature sauce, sausage, pepperoni and three-cheese blend) and “The Hoff” (signature sauce, Cooper sharp black pepper cheese, pepperoni and finished with Mike’s Hot Honey) quickly became fan favorites at pop-ups and collaborations with other local businesses.
Over the years, Local Stone has made appearances at Cellar Beast Winehouse in Andreas, Funk Brewing in Emmaus, Sherman Street Beer Co. in Allentown and Rising River Brewing Co. in Lower Macungie Township, among other businesses.
“In late 2020, when everything lightened up a bit, we started to go to different breweries and wineries, and at that point, I really think our customer base spread the word, and that’s how we really took off,” Jess said.
“So, we’ve been at this for a little over six years now, and when the opportunity came up with this new location, it just made sense. It all fit into place for us. We’re going to do just pizzas at the shop because we want to keep the focus on what we feel we’ve really perfected.”
The Mackers also credit Allentown’s Union and Finch restaurant and McCall Collective Brewing Co. for being early Local Stone collaborators and helping grow their business’ audience.
Over the years, Local Stone teamed up with McCall Collective on a variety of specials, including Local Stone cheesesteak nights and a Local Stone’s “Summer Slice” series, and its pizzas were previously a regular feature on the menu of the brewery’s location on Susquehanna Street in Allentown.
“After years of supporting us through pop-ups, feeding our crew during COVID (we met picking pizzas up from his garage- oh how far we’ve come!) and totally owning the pizza oven at Susquehanna, [Local Stone] will be moving on to bigger and better things,” reads a post on McCall Collective’s Facebook page.
“… Congrats Brian Macker and crew. So grateful for you and we truly wish you all the best! Can’t wait to come check out the new digs.”
Local Stone’s new pizza shop occupies an updated space, featuring new wall paint, awnings and more.
Local Stone’s new pizza shop operates at 446 N. 15th St. in Allentown.
Ryan Kneller
The shop focuses on takeout orders, and catering services are also offered. No seating is available.
In addition to “The Stone,” “The Clink” and “The Hoff,” other pizza varieties include “The Mac” (signature sauce, pepperoni and three-cheese blend) and “The CC” (signature sauce, pepperoni, fresh jalapenos marinated in harissa olive oil, three-cheese blend and finished with Mike’s Hot Honey).
Different pizza styles are available, including Local Stone’s “rounds,” which are 12-inch pies with choice of three-cheese blend, sliced or shredded mozzarella.
Other styles include “riser” (Local Stone’s take on Sicilian – 12- by 12-inch pie with a crispy cheese crust, signature sauce and three cheese blend), “barr” (16- by 12-inch pie with blend of crunch and chew) and Detroit (Detroit-style, 10- by 14-inch pie with crispy cheese crust, signature sauce and three-cheese blend).
“We’re going to have four different types of pizza crusts – our round pie; our hybrid Sicilian, which is a crispy cheese crust that’s a little thicker but still airy, light and fluffy; our barr pie, which is a little bigger at 16 by 12 with a thinner crust; and then our Detroit-style,” Jess said.
The high-quality, artisanal pizzas are made with 72-hour cold-fermented dough, as well as imported and locally sourced ingredients.
Dipping sauces such as house garlic parmesan, Calabrian chili garlic and vodka sauce are also available, along with bottles of Mike’s Hot Honey and other sauces.
Additionally, customers can choose from a selection of beverages, including iced tea, lemonade, orange drink and chocolate milk from Schuylkill County-based Guers Dairy.
Rotating specialty pizzas also will be available.
Local Stone’s new pizza shop operates at 446 N. 15th St. in Allentown.
Ryan Kneller
The Mackers announced the new Local Stone pizza shop on the business’ social media pages last month.
“What started as garage pickups during crazy times turned into pop-ups and collaborations,” the couple stated in the online post.
“They turned into thousands of pizzas. The pizzas turned into a community. Now we’ve found a place to call ours! Nothing about Local Stone happened overnight. Every pizza we’ve made, we poured our hearts into it, and we always will. This shop isn’t about becoming bigger. It’s about finally creating a place where we can share what we’ve spent years building. To everyone who’s ordered a pizza, stopped by a pop-up, shared a post, had a High Life in the garage, or simply believed in us — THANK YOU! We’re just getting started.”
For the latest Local Stone news, including updates regarding shop hours, follow the business’ pages on Facebook and Instagram. Info: localstoneallentown.com.