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our story
Block City Pizza was first opened in 1993 by Vernon Lane, the grandfather of our current store owners. Its name originated from being a block building in the Block City area of Hollow Rock, TN. Vernon owned this store for one year before Marvin and Shelly Lane, our shop owner's parents, became the new proprietors. During that time, our menu was straightforward, offering only pizzas, subs, and salads. In October of 2000, Marvin and Shelly expanded the business by opening a second store in Huntingdon, TN. Shelly managed the Hollow Rock store, while Marvin managed the Huntingdon store. By that time, our menu had grown to include wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread. In 2006, we opened a new building in Hollow Rock, right beside the old building, which allowed us to have more kitchen space. Fast-forward to 2009, we made similar changes to the Huntingdon store. We updated the entire exterior of the building, along with some areas inside. After updating our facilities and menus, our business continued to grow.
In 2012, we began plans to open a third store in McKenzie. Our McKenzie owner, Matthew had just graduated from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he wanted to start his future. By September of 2013, he finally opened the doors for business. With the help of his family, Matthew had a successful first year of operating his own business. However, in June of 2014, things quickly changed with a heavy downpour. The McKenzie building was flooded with up to 28 inches of water inside. After a lot of sweat, tears, and help from the community, we overcame this challenge.
We have had many changes in our family-owned business ever since. Our current Huntingdon store owner, Kirsten graduated from Bethel University and took ownership of that store with her husband, Grant. They have operated this store together since 2018. Meanwhile, Matthew and Kirsten's sister, Kayla, has worked at all three stores and has played a vital role at all locations. She now spends her time working as a Spanish Teacher at Central High School. In 2019, Matthew married Sydney, and she has been ever-present in the business even while teaching elementary school. In 2021, Kirsten and Grant officially took over the Hollow Rock store; they now run the Hollow Rock and Huntingdon locations together. As for Marvin and Shelly, they have now retired and assist when needed. Just like our family has grown, our company has continued to grow in all aspects. We have loved serving pizza to Carroll County for all of these years and look forward to doing it many more.
We have had many changes in our family-owned business ever since. Our current Huntingdon store owner, Kirsten graduated from Bethel University and took ownership of that store with her husband, Grant. They have operated this store together since 2018. Meanwhile, Matthew and Kirsten's sister, Kayla, has worked at all three stores and has played a vital role at all locations. She now spends her time working as a Spanish Teacher at Central High School. In 2019, Matthew married Sydney, and she has been ever-present in the business even while teaching elementary school. In 2021, Kirsten and Grant officially took over the Hollow Rock store; they now run the Hollow Rock and Huntingdon locations together. As for Marvin and Shelly, they have now retired and assist when needed. Just like our family has grown, our company has continued to grow in all aspects. We have loved serving pizza to Carroll County for all of these years and look forward to doing it many more.