LeBron-backed pizza franchise to open in Harbison

In celebration of the grand opening of its first South Carolina location, Blaze Pizza at 275 Park Terrace Drive between Harbison Boulevard and Bower Parkway will offer free build-your-own artisanal pizzas Friday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

The 2,500-square-foot eatery allows guests to customize one of the menu’s signature pizzas or create their own. The pizzas are then fast-fired in an oven and ready to serve in 180 seconds. The first Blaze Pizza restaurant opened in 2012 in Irvine, Calif. The Harbison location is store No. 109, according to local franchisee Chris Paphites, who announced Wednesday that another Blaze location will open at Village at Sandhills this summer.

Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzel’s Pretzels, Blaze is backed by NBA star LeBron James, who also recently agreed to be spokesperson for the chain.

Shop Around is published every Tuesday and Friday. Send information about new restaurants and other businesses to Janet Kendall at jjkendall@thestate.com.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 2:53 PM with the headline "LeBron-backed pizza franchise to open in Harbison."