Back when I was a little one, Pops asked me a very important question.

“Would you rather ride in a dump truck or make pizza?”

The answer was obvious, to me at least. You see, since living in the South, we never ate what Pops called ‘real pie’ since it didn’t exist. Of course you’ve got your papa’s, super marios, and your little roman dude serving up what they call pizza, but it’s not real pie. Pops started off with a recipe and dream to get started. His first store was right down the boulevard across from Gate 3, a little a ways from where we reside today. Soon after that, he opened a couple of stores dotted all over Clarksville. The logo you see today was made by my Mom when the Gate 3 store had opened; even with studying a little graphic design, I refuse to change it for nostalgic purposes. Pops did well in some areas but Clarksville had been experiencing some growing pains in some parts of the city during that time. Also not to mention the Great Recession in 2008 had made business hard to keep up, so he left the pizza business to explore other entrepreneurial endeavors. Nevertheless, he opened his last store less than a decade later on the corner, across the street from our current store. In late 2018, Pops suffered a broken ankle making it impossible for him to keep up with the pizzeria. I could say I stepped in and saved the everyone’s favorite pie but it was ultimately a group effort between my fiance, his family, my family and I. We’ve all worked so hard to keep the same flavor but add a nuanced look to the place. Since then, we’ve grown into a new home – what I’ve been calling our forever home for the last few years now. Oh and don’t worry about Pops, he’s fine with being retired from making pie.

Through this new age of ownership, we’ve all had our struggles. COVID-19 ultimately changed the landscape of food scenes nationwide. However, our determination has kept us going this far. I’d like to think we can grow exponentially for years to come. New York Pizza Depot forever, baby.