Sticking With The Community For 50 Years
Story by Tessa Dufresne

    “Oh, I should tell you this story…” she would begin.

   Any passerby would be enthralled to hear of the great history behind Vick’s Pizza’s past 50 years and about what they have in store for times to come.

   Vick’s Pizza began in 1958 when Hollis Vickers, a hard working man from Oak Hill, Ohio, won over his business partner with the idea. Their first shop was located at the south end of Columbus and named Cys Pizza. It was then changed to 3C Pizza, chosen because of their location on the Three-C Highway.

   Though pizza pie inspired Hollis, he still honored his belief to give his first job all he had. As Hollis continued to work long days at Armour, the meat processing center in Columbus, he hired 16-year-old Jim Grote and his grandmother to make the shop’s pizza dough.

   Little did Hollis know that just a few years later Grote would apply what he learned to his own endeavors at Donatos Pizzeria, which he opened in 1963, while in his sophomore year at the Ohio State University. Charlotte Vickers describes Vick’s Pizza as the “grandaddy” of Donatos.

   Hollis decided to relocate his eatery to Reynoldsburg in 1961 and settled on the name Vick’s Pizza, in honor of his last name turned nickname. He chose the site because he saw the potential in the then remote area and wanted to be the community’s first successful pizza shop.

   The building Vick’s Pizza resides in now, resting in the heart of Old Town Reynoldsburg, is the same one Hollis chose in 1961. Before his move, the building, dating back more than 100 years, originated as a dry goods store. Charlotte Vickers narrated the picture in her mind of their pizza shop as a dry goods store and detailed the similarity of the building’s structure to a dry goods store one would see in an old Western movie.

   Hollis’ small but profitable menu consisted of three sizes of pizzas, a salad with his original house Italian dressing, sub sandwiches, and spaghetti. Vickers considers their biggest change over the last 50 years was the broadening of the menu to “fit with the times.” Now, Vick’s Pizza offers seven different categories on their menu, ranging from specialty and take-and-bake pizzas to “munchies,” or appetizers. It also features desserts fresh from their oven and The Cheesecake Factory. However, she believes that they could scratch what they have added, rely on the original items, and still remain a favorite. In fact, since November, they have begun to honor the shop’s roots by selling Hollis’s homemade Italian dressing by the bottle. Soon, they hope to have the famous salad dressing in Kroger and other local markets.

   Another change that Vickers hopes to implement is to increase Vick’s Pizza’s involvement with fundraisers and community service.

   “The community has treated us so well… stuck with us through thick and thin… Vick’s Pizza wears the face of Reynoldsburg.” These reasons and each person who stepped into the lives of the Vickers family are why they want to give back and show their appreciation.
As Vickers explained her desire to stick with this community, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Looking at this little place, I can see all the work that so many people have put into it,” said Vickers.

   Even as the Vickers family watched Reynoldsburg develop over the past 50 years, complete with the additions of numerous pizza places, they knew this was the right area for them to serve “a lot of people quality food at a fair price.”

   Their latest fundraiser is for the ALS Association, an organization that supports scientific research to find a cure for the disease often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” which affects nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. This was their organization of choice after a close family friend lost his life to the disease.

   Vick’s Pizza donates $1 to the foundation for each 21-inch Raider pizza that is sold. Vickers says they usually sell around 150 Raiders per week, mostly to families who often buy multiples and freeze them to eat throughout the week.

   To celebrate their upcoming 50th anniversary, Vick’s Pizza, with the help of other local business owners, will throw a big bash next June. They will have entertainment, a clown, and most notably, free pizza and cake. Vickers joked that they would need to notify Reynoldsburg police before the party to ensure order once residents learn about the event.
Other than the commemoration aspect, the shindig will emphasize fundraising. Multiple nonprofit organizations will be present, such as the ALS Association, and attendees will be asked to donate what they wish.

   “I have learned to put God first in life, and to succeed you need a purpose,” said Vickers. Her current purpose is to serve those who have treated her family so well over the years.
Vickers recalled that she has seen many new pizza shops start in town, holding the idea that all that is necessary for their food to be a hit is brand new equipment, but they are not able to last.

   “We never buy anything new, we buy from auctions,” she said, explaining that to really be well-liked, a pizza shop needs to show character and commitment for what they do and be equipped with some mighty family recipes.

   Vick’s has served the “same product for two generations,” and has been making their sauce for 25 years.

   “No matter if prices rise on our regular ingredients, we will stay with what we use. You will always get the same food every time you come,” said Vickers.
The Vickers family hopes they will remain strong for ten more years, but are unsure what time will bring with it.

   “We are so thankful to our community for our success over the last 50 years.”