A new eatery preparing to open in Claremont is taking its owner back to his start, as he carves a new restaurant from the original classic.

On Oct. 1, Geppeto’s Pizza and More owner Neal Powell will open Pinocchio’s Stone Hearth Baked Pizza in downtown Claremont with the slogan, “Great pizza, no strings attached.”

“We’re doing this one like our original store,” Powell said.

Located in the building previously known as The Villa, it will be his fourth store in the Unifour area. Powell’s main chain, Geppeto’s has locations already established in Newton, Hickory and Morganton.

Jim Yount, owner of the building, would call Powell each time a business closed, asking him to come give the place a look. After The Villa closed, he decided it was time to check the place out.

Powell said it was the corner location and the amount of traffic he saw through Claremont that convinced him it was time for his chain to expand.

“I thought that Claremont is a great town that needs its own pizzeria,” he said.

Like the first Geppeto’s that opened in Newton 20 years ago, the food will be served from the counter without waiters or waitresses.  Pinocchio’s will be like Geppeto’s on a smaller scale, with a shortened menu and smaller dining area.

Powell said the menu will feature many of Geppeto’s traditional recipes, including a variety of pizzas, pastas, subs and salads.  However, it will not have the buffet and salad bar that are synonymous with the Geppeto’s chain.  The selection will also not be as large as the bigger restaurants. He said while the other locations have about 15 types of pasta, Pinocchio’s will have five or six.

Powell and his wife, Angela, will finalize the menu this week.  The menu may not be set yet, but he said one thing is certain: Pinocchio’s will have the same quality and service as Geppeto’s, including having everything made in house from the sauces to the cheese.

“I wish we could reproduce the menu the others have, we just didn’t have the kitchen space,” he said.

The new restaurant will be the first to operate from the location with delivery service within a five-mile radius, he said.

Powell and his wife officially leased the building Sept. 1 and are busy preparing the restaurant for its grand opening.  He said they are bringing in a stone hearth oven, painting and putting in different seating, making it as similar to their other restaurants as they can.  When the transformation is complete, the restaurant will seat about 60 people.

Powell opened the first Geppeto’s in downtown Newton in 1988 at the age of 25.  The store was small, about half the size it is now, with counter service and no waiters.

“I had worked in several restaurants and wanted to try it,” he said.

He started learning the restaurant business at 18, working at El Tios.  Later he also worked at Giovanni,s and Lake Hickory Country Club, before starting out on his own.

“I decided if I was going to make an impact, I needed to go ahead and start,” Powell said. “I just hit the ground running.”

The young entrepreneur sold his 1985 Volvo and “scrimped and saved.”

“I sold what little I had and paid as I went,” he said.

When he first opened on Aug. 1, 1988, he didn’t cut himself a paycheck. Instead, he put everything he could back into the restaurant.

He said the store was so well received, he expanded into the rest of the building in Newton.

“In the back of my mind, I always wanted to open more stores. I think everyone who opens a restaurant has that dream,” Powell said.

Ten years later, he opened the second location, in Hickory off Springs Road, and added a third restaurant in downtown Morganton in 2003.  Powell said all three locations have faired well, especially the Newton location, which continues to do the most business, with the others close behind.

The location for the new restaurant has seen its share of ups and downs, with restaurants continually opening and closing.  The Villa, the last restaurant to inhabit the space, didn’t last a year.  Powell said he has never closed a restaurant and doesn’t expect to start now.

“We are going in expecting success,” he said.

Powell said credits Geppeto’s name and reputation, as well as his managerial staff, for the restaurants’ success. And he the delivery service will also set it apart from other restaurants that have been there.

“I’m hoping the town receives us well and comes and eats with us,” he said.

Powell is also finalizing his franchising deal for Geppeto’s.  He said the first franchised store is scheduled to open in Denver off N.C. 73 in November. The Powells hope the franchise will extend into the Charlotte restaurant market next and eventually dot the East Coast with locations from Florida to Virginia to Tennessee.