Sure, we could have just put a big sign that says, “Coming Soon!” in the windows of our soon-to-be future second location. That wouldn’t be all that surprising. It’s a pretty standard sight to see as construction on a new addition to the neighborhood begins. And we had every intention of doing that. Bringing an end to the rumors and conversations consisting of “I heard there was a new clothing boutique going in that space,” followed by the, “No way, my coworker told me she knows the person who owns the building who said it was going to be a fusion gastro pub bistro.” 

But then again, the excitement of seeing a sign in th window is about as exciting as a pizza display filled with nothing but cheese and pepperoni slices. Yeah, it gets the job done, but do you really want to stare at the same slice of cheese pizza every everyday on your commute home?

So began the creation of the interactive window display. Or, as we like to call it, the alternate pizzaverse. And it took a lot of help from our friends. The first step: recruiting some artists to paint the scene. Enter Celia and Sean. Celia is a former employee of ours who now runs her own bookstore just west of the six corners called The Yellowbook (you should check it out!) and Sean is an artist and printer at Psycho Baby. So, within a few days a couple pieces of plywood were transformed into two Dimo’s-centric murals.

Just how did we determine each character for the scenes? Credit for that can go to a very productive staff meeting brainstorm session. There’s the gardener to represent our future rooftop garden space, and Lady Gaga in a pizza dress as an homage to the countless late night playlists known to blare from our speakers on weekends. The Blues Brothers were an obvious inclusion thanks to our Chicago roots. And a skeleton skateboarding next to Indiana Jones riding a T-Rex while lassoing a hot dog…well, that’s just awesome.

Okay, so now we had some hand-painted custom murals, but how was anyone going to see them on the inside of a glass window? In steps carpenter extraordinaire (and pizza cook, pizza slinger, comedian, singer, repairman extraordinaire) Brandon. You’ve likely seen him working behind the counter. (Hint: he’s probably playing some old school country music and singing along to every word.) Add in a few other helpers (namely friends and significant others who were bribed with beer to come help hold things) and a few days later and some wire, mirrors and hooks were jimmied into a set of reflective displays. It was a precarious and time-consuming job, but for novice window display makers, we’re pretty proud of our creation.

The real lesson here? No, we’re not a big chain or franchise. No, we don’t have a huge budget to drop on supplies. But we have something that makes up for what we lack. We have a passion for what we do. And we’re committed to doing things differently. Our window display is a preview of the offbeat characters about to bring even more offbeat and delicious pizza creations to the Wicker Park neighborhood. And like our mural, we’re ready to work together to make this new spot a part of the community.

So stop by our future home at 1615 N. Damen and take a step in our alternate pizzaverse. Hey, you could even take a picture and share it on our social media channels. We promise it’s probably not like any “coming soon” window sign you’ve likely seen.