House of Pizza to reopen in Clinton following purchase of 112 Musgrove Street from Presbyterian College

When fire destroyed and damaged several businesses in Clinton last August and the weeks passed, one question quickly came to the forefront for owners and customers.

What next?

For the owner of the House of Pizza on 120 Musgrove Street, which was entirely destroyed by the blaze, it was a question that yielded a fairly quick answer – just a few doors down.

House of Pizza proprietor Narmeen Abojamoos purchased 112 Musgrove Street from Presbyterian College with plans to reopen the restaurant at its new location by year’s end. Abojamoos said she is grateful for the opportunity to get back to normal – and grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.

“First of all, I am thankful for the firefighters and first responders who came to stop the fire and prevent it from spreading further,” she said. “I am thankful for my employees and miss my customers. They are all like family to me. I am also grateful to PC for being such a good partner and to the City of Clinton and the community for showing us so much love and support.”

With PC already committed to relocating Freshens from the downtown location to campus, the sale of the property to an existing business owner made perfect sense, said interim vice president for finance and operations Dan Hall.

“We heard rumors that Narmeen might be interested in the property, so we reached out and started a conversation and she quickly came back and said she wanted to buy it,” he said.

Though the fire caused some smoke damage to the property, there was no structural damage and should provide plenty of space for the new House of Pizza. The property closed on XXX and both parties celebrated with a short “passing of the keys” ceremony the same day.

Hall said the transaction is a huge win for both parties. Clinton gets one of its favorite restaurants and the college gets to move forward with its plans for relocating Freshens – both of which are great for PC students.

“House of Pizza has a great history in this town as one of our ‘go-to’ restaurants for students, our athletes, visiting teams, and parents who come to visit their kids,” he said. “It’s great for the City of Clinton and great for the downtown.”

PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson also hailed the sale for benefitting the entire community.

“I am so grateful that Presbyterian College and the House of Pizza could work together on an agreement that restores, in part, one of the businesses lost in the devastating fire last August,” she said. “This is such great news not only for them but for the City of Clinton and for PC. We wish the House of Pizza much success in their new location and hope they will remain part of our vibrant community for many years to come.”

Abojamoos said she is eager to open the doors again soon.

“I can’t wait to see my customers again, and I promise we will rise from the ashes better than ever,” she said.