On April 20th, Marvin and Grace Robbins officially became the new owners of the Temple Party Store.
What started out as a running joke last fall, snowballed into reality this week. And the couple couldn’t be more excited.
Marvin, a ’99 Marion graduate, and Grace, a ’99 Pine River graduate, were married in 2000, and spent the next 8 years traveling the country – and the world – while Marvin was enlisted and deployed with the Army.
But they’ve been home for a while now, along with their kids, Emilee and Levi.
After working for Marion Public Schools, Grace beginning working full-time at the Temple Party Store over the last couple of years. And when the previous owners began talking about selling, Grace and Marvin playfully toyed with the idea of taking over the store.
And why not?
As the home of the famous original pizza balls, the Temple Party Store is right out their back door. And it’s now locally and veteran-owned and operated.
We caught up with the Robbins family recently, where we learned about their family, the store, and their story. We learned that Marvin and Grace Robbins are more than just a couple of faces in the crowd.
Marion Press: How’d this all come about? Where’d you get the idea to buy the Temple Party Store?
Grace: Just basically, having the stability. With our age, we wanted something that we could rely on later on. I’ve worked here between 3 and 4 years. And when I worked at the school, I would work here on the weekends and throughout the summer. I actually got laid off from the school, and then I started working here full-time.
And then the [store owners] were like, “Yeah, we think we’re going to sell.” And I was like, “I could buy a party store.”
Marvin: It was kind of a joke at first. She come home one day and said, “Hey, let’s buy a party store.” And I humored her and said, “Sure, let’s do it!” And then it kind of snowballed into something that actually took place. It just started falling together.
MP: What is the Temple Party Store known for? What all do you offer?
Grace: We’re the home of the famous original pizza balls. I think pretty much everyone around, for 20 to 30 miles, if they make it, they probably bought it here first.
MP: What is it about the pizza balls that make them so special?
Marvin: It is a special recipe for the sauce, that nobody can duplicate – well, they probably could if they really sat down and thought about it. It’s kind of like Kentucky Fried Chicken’s 11 secret herbs and spices; it’s just something that’s a little bit different and catches your flavor profile. You’re like, “Oh, those are better than anywhere else.”
MP: So the pizza balls are a big thing.
Grace: That is, but we have everything. We have the beer, the liquor, the cigarettes. The candy, the pop. Some groceries, hand-dipped ice cream, fishing stuff, car stuff. We have recreational fuel and we fill propane. We have a kitchen; our pizzas are cheaper than Marion pizzas.
MP: I see that, you can get an 8” pizza for $5.
Grace: A one-topping 8” pizza for $5. And it’s good. When we make pizza, our pepperonis touch.
Marvin: It’s serious pizza. And our larges are 16” and most everyone else is 14”.
MP: So where were you born and raised? What kept you busy growing up?
Marvin: I’m a Temple-ite. Born and raised. Went to school at Marion.
Not really much of a whole lot [kept me busy]; not much for a country kid to do besides bale hay in the summer and mow grass and rake leaves for the sparse neighbors here and there. I’d hunt. I actually fished quite a lot when I was a young man, in my early teens. I didn’t excel in school, let’s just say that! I graduated in ’99 and I joined the Army right out of school.
MP: Tell us about that. Where did the Army take you?
Marvin: First duty station was Ft. Riley, Kansas. We were there for 3 years. And then we went to Hawaii for 4. Well, Grace got to live there for 4 years, but I lived there for 3. I got deployed to Afghanistan in 2004.
MP: That was back in the beginning…
Marvin: That was back when nobody really knew about the Afghan situation. I was a wheeled vehicle mechanic; I specialized in diesel.
MP: What did you enjoy the most about your time in the service?
Marvin: I think the camaraderie, probably. I hated the structure while I was in, but now that I’m out, I miss it. It’s not really micromanaged, but you would know exactly what you were doing each day, things wouldn’t change and it was a nice routine.
MP: What about you Grace, where were you born and raised? What kept you busy growing up?
Grace: Tustin and Leroy; went to school at Pine River. Probably just family; I’m the oldest of 5. I enjoyed just being outside, being outdoors.
MP: Even in the winter? Do you get out a lot in the winter?
Grace: Not a ton, our kids still like sledding a lot, so sometimes we get drug out there with them.
MP: Tell us about your family.
Grace: We have a daughter, she’s 16, Emilee. And Levi is 11. They both go to Marion. Between track and SEEDS, and baseball…
Marvin: If we’re not running for the store, we’re running for the kids!
MP: What do you enjoy the most about being a part of the Temple and Marion communities?
Grace: I’ve been here a lot longer, so I’ve really appreciated getting to know people. Not that I love everyone, or that I always make great friends or anything, but it’s just nice knowing people.
Marvin: And in such a small community like Temple, everybody knows everybody, so we’re pretty much on a first name basis with everyone. When they come through the door, it’s like, “Hey, John! Hey, Billy!”
Grace: A lot of people who have come through have said, “The previous owners were awesome, and they made the store awesome, but we’re so excited that locals [own the store]. It’s nice to have a job with some stability, where your family is and where your friends are.
MP: So do you guys live around here?
Marvin: Yeah, about 500 yards that way [to the west]. We can see the parking lot from the driveway.
MP: That’s pretty cool. How did you two meet?
Marvin: We actually met up to Cadillac at CTC. Straight out of high school, we were in the military, traveled for 8 years. Come home – we’ve been home now for 14 years – and we said, “Hey, let’s get a party store!”
Grace: I was still asking him, up to the day we signed, “Are you terrified!? Should we back out!? Are we gonna be okay!?”
MP: How has the reception been since you took over the store?
Grace: It’s been good. People are excited that it’s local.
Marvin: I think it’s been wonderful. I spent half the day behind the register yesterday, and people come in, and congratulate you with a smile on their face. It’s kind of a big deal to you, especially with the both of us having a moderately poor upbringing; growing as people, and as business owners – that’s something that you don’t really even think about as a kid.
MP: You probably grew up coming to this store all the time.
Marvin: Yeah, actually. I grew up a mile and a half south of here, and when the first gentleman opened it – I think I was like 13 or 14 – I rode my bicycle up here and got me a roll of bubble tape – bubblegum – just to see what the store was about. It was exciting.
