The Observer: Philly Pretzel Factory Opens Near College Campus

Marsye Naman, a Saint Mary's graduate, and her husband Mark will be opening Philly Pretzel Factory in South Bend, bringing the first brick and mortar store to the state.

"Being from New Jersey, I loved the product because we were around it a lot," Marsye Naman told The Observer reporter. "So we wanted to bring something new, but also something which we consider home...out to the Midwest. Because the company is not this far out west yet."

Mark Naman, who attended Notre Dame in 1996 and went on to work for the university, explained what sets the franchise apart from the competitors.

"You got to an Auntie Annie's or a Ben's Pretzel, it's a little bit of a different experience where you're going to buy a pretzel and pay $3.50, or whatever it is," Mark told the reporter. "The Philly Pretzel is designed to be a more mass pretzel purchase that you can share with a lot of people...The idea is, for a very low cost, you get a lot of these high-quality bread pretzels to share with your friends, which is a huge benefit, I think, and it's great for students."

Sydney Creagh is a Senior Account Manager at No Limit Agency. She graduated from the the University of Iowa with a Journalism and Creative Writing major. Sydney has lived in Chicago for the last 5 years, but still loves walking the city and exploring new neighborhoods - especially during the summer months.