WATEROO | Business is popping for ReShonda Young.
Her gourmet popcorn store, Popcorn Heaven, opened its doors in late February at 403 Franklin St., and traffic flow has been steady to overwhelming.
“It’s been fun. People are really liking the store. It’s fun, too, because I’m a bit of an introvert, and I’m loving the interaction with customers. We wanted the whole atmosphere to be happy, heavenly and upbeat, and for customers to leave the store in a better mood than when they walked in,” said Young, a Waterloo native.
That’s not hard to do with more than 50 flavors of gourmet popcorn to put smiles on faces. You’ve got your sweets – fruit flavors like grape and strawberry, puppy chow, chocolate-drenched Butterfinger – and the savories like Parmesan and Garlic, Salt and Vinegar, Loaded Baked Potato, Southwest Hot Wings, Jalapeno Ranch and Mac and Cheese. Not to mention flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake (with bits of graham crackers), Banana Pudding and Birthday Cake, and of course, Movie Theater Butter.
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Although she loves popcorn, Young confesses it wasn’t her lifelong dream to become “Poprietor” of a store devoted to the popular snack food. It started with a kernel of an idea: To own a franchise.
“Entrepreneurism is in my blood. I came across a popcorn franchise, Doc Popcorn, that sounded interesting, so I ended up in Colorado learning about it,” she explains.
But before signing on the dotted line, her mother called to suggest a different popcorn business she’d come across while visiting Las Vegas. Popcorn Girl proved to be the perfect fit because it isn’t a franchise, start-up costs were low, and she could have her own company name and identity.
The snack market is estimated at about $16 billion, and the ready-to-eat popcorn business is about a half-billion dollars. In the last four years, the popcorn market has grown by four percent, according to statistics. Experts like Hitesh Hajarnavis, president and CEO of Popcorn, Indiana, expect the market to double itself in size in the next eight to 10 years.
Young grew up in Waterloo, graduated from East High School and earned her degree in business management in 1997 from Wartburg College. Her career includes stints at Principal Financial Group, CUNA and Progressive, before joining her dad, Levorn Robinson, as operations manager for his company, Alpha Express.
Chad Shipman, a marketing-savvy businessman, is the minority partner and Young's sounding board. They met five years ago through church and realized they shared business interests and goals, as well as deep connections in the Cedar Valley.
Initially, Young held off telling Shipman about her plans. "She thought I was going to laugh, but I said 'go get it.' ReShonda is all about focusing on strengths and managing weaknesses, and I knew she'd get this done," he says.
Together they are driven by the desire to achieve and succeed, as well as by their faith in God.
“This isn’t your typical mom-and-pop place. We want to become a franchise and a distributor, plus we’ll soon have our website up and going for e-commerce,” Shipman said.
Young laughs. "Chad wants to make it look pretty; I just want it to work."
Social media has “been huge for promoting the store," Young explains. "We want Popcorn Heaven to become a household name, and one goal is to help people find work in downtown Waterloo."
There are eight full- and part-time employees. All of the popcorn is popped, flavored and packaged in the professional kitchen equipped with a commercial-grade popper and sorting chute. There are vats for cooking caramel and other flavors that need to be drizzled hot over fresh popcorn and allowed to dry, and paddle machines that mix and coat popcorn with flavorings like cheese. A large storage space allows Popcorn Heaven to be fully stocked with gourmet flavors and mixes.
You also can purchase homemade fudge, including plain chocolate and chocolate-walnut, as well as unusual offerings like white chocolate and bacon and Butterfinger from Young’s own “secret recipes,” as well as brittles and candy. Popcorn and other items can be packaged into gifts to suit any occasion.
Young recently made a statewide splash, providing gourmet popcorn for the Iowa Citizens Action Network meeting at the Capitol in Des Moines, and plans to participate at a variety of area public events, including this spring’s Cedar Valley Baconfest.
The name "Popcorn Heaven" came to Young as she sat on the edge of her bed, praying for guidance. "It was so obvious," she recalls, smiling. "I looked into it, and there was no other company with that name. The name was perfect."
