When Ray Schink first opened Ace’s Pizza in August 2025, it wasn't just about serving up slices; he was rebuilding community history.
The idea of opening another local store came from Missy Emler and her creation of The Hub and Pages & Parcels. Schink missed having an original pizza place in town, and also wanted to give the community a local option instead of driving 15 to 20 minutes somewhere.
The building that now houses Ace’s Pizza has been in place for over 150 years. In 1848, before Wisconsin was a state, William H. Hunt opened a mining supply store across the street from where Pages and Parcels is located now. After mining died out, Mr. Reynolds opened a butcher shop, and then Mrs. Wagner took it over, opening a small convenience store.
The records show that there were three different owners when it was a pizza place, and later, the Wagners took it over and made it into a kitchenette. They passed it on to their kids, but once their kids went to college, it closed. op9
When Schink got the idea to reopen a local pizza parlor, he sold off some personal stocks for a down payment on a commercial loan. He also got funding through a community development investment grant for a repair process that involved removing decayed mortar from between bricks and replacing it with new mortar.
Tammy Cooley is also involved in this business. During the “start-up process,” she recruited employees from the high school for Ray.
Rays' goals for the next year for Ace’s include restoring the building some more, which will include replacing bricks and grout, new structural beams over windows and archways, and more “bone” work to update the building and make it prosper through the upcoming generations.
With these changes, he hopes to expand the business by adding a coffee shop within the pizza shop.
Ray Schink is a father to first grader and fourth grader at Potosi Schools. Ray is a person who has a hilarious sense of humor, but also the biggest heart you will ever encounter. Before opening Ace’s, Ray worked alongside Missy in The Hub as the CFO, but Ray wanted to continue the trend of restoring Potosis' old history, so he took action and opened Ace's.
Schink would also like to add tenants to the upstairs of the building. This would require even more physical adaptation work, such as making more parking available for the tenants, as well as adding outside stairs leading up to the top floor. He hopes this could be a two-unit apartment. However, these goals may be extended into the following years due to the challenge of getting contractors in, as well as budgeting for the work.
Ace’s is more than just a spot to grab pizza; it has evolved into a place where friends, families, and neighbors come together. Providing the best in town pizza isn't just made with dough and sauce, but with heart.