The Block is locally owned and operated by the Zulpo Family of Purlear, NC.

How it started…
Mick and I met in the summer of 1996 at Betsy Jeff Penn 4 H camp in Reidsville, NC. Mick grew up in Brisbane, Australia and I grew up in Cary, NC. After camp that summer Mick spent the next semester at Appalachian State University with me. All the while he told his parents he was traveling the world. Most of our 20s were spent with Mick in Australia, and I lived in Morrisville, NC & Mount Pleasant, SC.
At age 29 we realized we had stayed such close friends for so many years for a reason! He moved over. We got married. We moved to Seattle. We had our oldest son. We moved to Fuquay Varina, NC. We had our youngest son.
The 2017 we were able to finally “get back” to the mountains. We were able to move to Purlear, NC in beautiful Buck Mountain full time in 2020, and that’s when The Block dream started.
Why did we want to open The Block? Easy answer is why not! Every community needs a place for families to connect, in a 50 year old building with a ton of history! We all need more physical activity in life, and less screen time. Most importantly all need our kids to sleep better!
Wear out your crew and create memories at The Block!
Please let us know how we can make your trip to The Block a memory for a lifetime!
Thank you for your support our Block family truly appreciates it!
-Aynsley Zulpo (co-owner)


