Page 3 - The Wayne Dispatch

Wayne resident making dough with new business

By Carolyn Marnon enjoy her life and her kids, Crystal
Crystal Murphy was homeless was able to get a position at Wayne
with two young sons. She had been Westland Federal Credit Union. She
living with her dad until he lost the says she spent 9-10 hours per day
trailer they were living in. They had sitting behind a desk making loan
nowhere to go. They went from applications with clients who were
house to house, staying with people trying to open their own businesses.
they knew. They eventually ended up While working there, she met Lou
in Toledo, Ohio. Crystal was about Toarmina. It was there that he ap-
20 years old. But let’s go back a few proached her about buying into a
years. store. At the time, it cost about
Born and raised in Wayne, Crys- $20,000-$30,000; money Crystal
tal’s dad spent 30 years working for didn’t have. A year later, she saw an
Mark Wayne Motors on Michigan Av- ad on the Toarmina’s website about
enue. Her mother had dropped her a manage-to-own program that re-
off on her dad’s porch when Crystal quired no money down. She reached
was just 14 years old. Crystal says out to Lou who remembered who
her mother couldn’t handle having a she was and the seed was planted.
kid anymore. She attended both Crystal liked being up, moving
John Glenn and Wayne Memorial around and interacting with people
high schools before dropping out at on a more consistent basis. She real-
the age of 15 due to bullying she ex- ized the credit union job was not for
perienced at WMHS. She got her her. She was able to get a job as a
GED at 16 and got her first job work- driver for Domino’s in Taylor, work-
ing the drive-thru window at McDon- ing 3-4 days a week just to keep
ald’s. She was there about six some money coming in. “My fiancé
months before discovering she was worked harder to support us during
pregnant. that time. He supported my deci-
After she had her son, she started sion.” She says he motivated her to
working at a nursing home. “I was move into management positions
taking care of the elderly. Cleaning and reach higher.
beds, showers, feeding. I was en- After spending over 10 years in
rolled online for nursing assistant. the pizza industry gaining experi-
My son was about 6 months old at ence, from delivery driver to man-
that time. I ultimately dropped my Crystal Murphy entered a manage-to-own program with Toarmina’s Pizza on Wayne ager to general manager at various
online classes. I couldn't keep up pizza restaurants, an incredible op-
with the work and raise him. It takes Road in Westland. Photo by John Rhaesa portunity presented itself to Crystal.
a special person to be able to handle Heights to her second job as a driver ford a small 2-bedroom apartment Last July, Crystal entered a man-
working in a nursing home. I had for Jet’s Pizza from 5:00 p.m. to mid- and pay my bill's every month. But age-to-own program with Toarmina’s
just lost my grandmother a year be- night. After that shift, she’d drive again, we were just surviving not re- Pizza. With no down payment, she
fore and I was just too emotional to back to Toledo, get some sleep, and ally living.” started managing the Toarmina’s lo-
do the job.” wake up a few hours later to start Three years ago, she became the cation on Wayne Rd in Westland.
Crystal started working in pizza her 2-job workday all over again. General Manager at one of the After three months as manager while
restaurants. Her first pizza joint was For three months, this was her Domino’s locations that was about a she and Lou Toarmina were deter-
Sammy’s Pizza at Telegraph and Joy routine. “I was exhausted, I never 45-minute drive from her home. The mining if this was a good fit for the
which she says is now closed. Her saw my boys anymore. I was only time she was gone and the gas she business, she signed the paperwork
experience expanded to include working to keep gas in my car and used on her commute were not in early October to become the
“Papa Romano's, Jets, Howies and buy food and diapers on a daily worth it for her. She was able to get store’s new owner. She’s now hoping
Cottage Inn. Domino’s is where I basis. Just enough to survive the day. a GM position at another location, her sons, now 10 and 8, will one day
spent most of my time. Domino’s is I knew we couldn't keep living like but she says “I was over worked, un- take over from her. “I want to secure
where I was a manager and general that and a friend let me stay in their derstaffed and poorly paid. Many a future for them.” She goes on to
manager of a couple locations. I basement so I could get my head nights I was alone to handle the rush say, “I never thought I would make a
could write a whole story on my above water.” and would have my fiancé come in to career out of it.”
pizza life,” she laughs. Crystal worked at Burger King on help me because they needed to Toarmina’s Pizza is a Michigan-
Now back to the time she was Wayne Rd. and Plymouth while living watch their labor. They refused to based company whose claim to fame
homeless and staying in Toledo. in the basement. “That was able to give me the help I needed. It started is the 24-inch pizza where each slice
Crystal would drive everyday from provide us enough money to afford to take a toll on my health. I had de- is a foot long. The Toarmina family
Toledo to a hotel next to I-275 in my 1-bedroom apartment. From veloped a twitch in my eye from the originally owned the location she is
Canton where she would clean there I started working for Domino’s stress. That's when I started looking now at. It later switched hands nu-
rooms from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 on Wayne Road and Michigan Ave in for something else.” merous times over the years as dif-
p.m. She then had an hour to herself 2013 as a driver. That was the real Done with pizza and wanting a
as she made her way to Dearborn turning point for us. I was able to af- different lifestyle where she could See Pizza, page 9

The Wayne Dispatch · February 2020 · 3