Piaci

From a service station and western wear to tack, videos, computers, printing, wraps and today’s pizza and pub, 120 W. Redwood Avenue has been part of several generations of downtown Fort Bragg life.

Overview

Piaci Pub & Pizzeria occupies 120 W. Redwood Avenue near the corner of Main Street in downtown Fort Bragg.

For many people today, the address simply means Piaci — pizza, beer, conversation, music and a comfortable gathering place with a loyal local following.

The property has a much broader story. Before Piaci, the site and building were associated with a service station, The Clothes Rack, a tack shop, a video store, an Apple computer business, a copy and print shop, upstairs offices and a short-lived wrap shop.

The present building was constructed after the earlier service station era and later adapted for a wide variety of retail, office and food businesses.

Location

Piaci stands at 120 W. Redwood Avenue, immediately west of Main Street in the heart of downtown Fort Bragg.

Its location placed it close to the town’s busiest commercial corridor while allowing businesses to serve activity along both Redwood Avenue and Main Street.

History

Before the present building was constructed, a service station occupied the property.

The current commercial building came later and became home to The Clothes Rack, one of the best-remembered businesses at the address.

Residents remember western clothing, leather goods and tack, with horse-related merchandise associated with the Main Street side and upper level of the building.

The store left particularly strong memories. One customer remembered buying a Gunne Sax dress there. Another remembered winning first place in a pumpkin-carving contest at the recreation center in 1980 and using the prize gift certificate to buy a first pair of cowboy boots.

The building later held several very different businesses.

Videot’s Delight operated as a video store downstairs, while an Apple computer business was remembered there during the early 1980s.

Residents also recall a copy and print shop and upstairs professional offices, including an architect.

For a short period, there was also a wrap shop. Although it did not last long, it left affectionate memories, including from someone who remembered loving the “hippie wrap shop” while in high school.

Over time, the building was divided and adapted for smaller businesses and offices, allowing it to continue serving downtown Fort Bragg in changing ways.

Piaci Pub & Pizzeria was founded in 2000 by Jim Muto and Jerry Warner.

Jim and Gregoria Garcia worked in the kitchen while Warner tended bar and waited tables.

At the top of the menu was the memorable phrase “Home of the adult pizza.”

Piaci deliberately offered a different atmosphere from family-oriented pizza chains. There were no televisions or games competing for attention, and conversation became part of the experience.

Happy hour developed a strong local following, particularly between five and seven in the evening.

Pineapple pizza was also not part of the program.

Around 2007, Stephen Dur purchased Piaci and continued operating the restaurant.

During the COVID era, outdoor dining became a more important part of the business, and the outdoor area also developed into a venue for live music and community events.

Community Memories

The Clothes Rack produced some of the strongest early memories.

People remembered western clothes, leather goods, horse tack, cowboy boots and the employees who worked there. Dresses and first pairs of boots purchased decades ago remain attached to the building in people’s memories.

Other residents remember completely different chapters of the same address: the service station that came before the present building, Videot’s Delight downstairs, Apple computers in the early 1980s, the copy and print shop, upstairs offices and the short-lived wrap shop.

Piaci created another generation of memories.

Former residents say they still miss it years after leaving Fort Bragg. Visitors who have been returning to the coast for decades describe Piaci as a must-stop when they are in town.

People remember sitting at the bar, playing cribbage, talking with friends, listening to music and enjoying the absence of televisions and distractions.

Pizza and beer are part of the attraction, but the recurring theme is the atmosphere.

Piaci became a place where people stayed.

Why It Matters

The history of 120 W. Redwood Avenue shows how a downtown property can change completely while remaining part of everyday Fort Bragg life.

The site moved from a service station to a commercial building filled with western wear, tack, videos, computers, printing, offices and food businesses.

Then Piaci arrived.

Since 2000, it has given the address something harder to measure than square footage or storefront history: continuity.

People who moved away still talk about it. Visitors make a point of returning. Locals have gathered there after work, over pizza, around the bar and at music events.

The merchandise and businesses at 120 W. Redwood Avenue have changed repeatedly, but the address has remained what a good downtown building should be — a place people have a reason to walk into.