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Personalities PHOTO Andrew Hutchins INTERVIEW Dan Mathers
Inside the busy lives of Dana and Eric Seaman of Riggtown Oven. So, Mr. Sea… sorry, Eric. I knew you as my seventh grade teacher at Fugett—how’d you come to own Riggtown? Eric: I used to work for the guy that owned South Side Pizza, which was where we are now. One day, he was gone—he closed up, locked the door. At the time I was a teacher, I was off in the summer, and I talked to Jake, of Jake’s Bar, and he suggested I buy the place. I told my wife that I thought it was a good spot, and she agreed. Dana: It wasn’t the best timing in the world—when we opened our kids were six months and three. So, I said, “As long as you don’t quit your job teaching.” What’d you do with the kids? E: Closets. D: No! One babysitter in the morning until they woke up, then run them to school. One after school. A lot of the girls working for us at Riggtown babysat, too. E: Sometimes you got a Riggtown shift, sometimes a babysitting shift. How long did you continue teaching? E: I taught for three more years while we owned Riggtown, then I left public school and went over to Glen Mills for another three years. I did that because at Glen Mills I would work from 1pm-9pm, which made it easier for my schedule here. What were you doing at Glen Mills? E: I was a councilor for the kids at the golf course. Kids on campus who were doing well were eligible for jobs. We’d teach them the process of getting hired and make sure everything was on the up and up. What were you doing at the time, Dana? D: I was running Riggtown. E: If I wasn’t there, she was. And before Riggtown? D: I was a teacher, but I’ve worked in the restaurant industry since I was 15. E: She was the reason we were able to do this—I did nothing; I knew nothing. Well, I did know how to make pizza. What was the key to success? D: Just hard work, I guess. Perseverance
E: A solid marriage! A good husband! D: Yeah, that... E: For me, number one was being on this corner. It’s a unique spot—it’s college, it’s industrial, it’s a neighborhood. And, we wanted to be a productive part of that neighborhood; we want to be good neighbors. Also, it’s where the name comes from. What do you mean? E: Originally, this part of town was all mushroom farms. A guy named Riggs built a bunch of tenement houses and sold them cheap. As Turks Head Grew bigger, the two merged and became West Chester.
I’d always just thought of students there. D: A lot of people think we’re just a college pizza place, but during the day we get a very diverse crowd. Also, everything is homemade—soups, dressings, roast beef, everything. More than that, we’re a momand-pop establishment, and we’re both still really involved with the schools. I don’t know how you find the time. D: Nothing will ever seem as busy or difficult as when we first opened. E: It builds your threshold, multitasking. D: It was also a matter of getting used to working with him... E: It’s not easy.
SEPTEMBER 2015 THEWCPRESS.COM
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