Pop Pop Shoppe recently opened here in Little Rock (416 South University Ave, Suite 130) in the shopping center with Target. It was originally opened, and still remains, in Texarkana. Facebook ads of rainbow-colored popcorn brought my childhood memories back to me. Plus, their reviews online were pretty great. So, naturally, I had to drop in. Here’s the breakdown:
Environment:
So cute! While this shop is on the small side, it only sells one thing, popcorn. And it sells it well. The shop is decorated with vibrant colors, displays, and many gift options. Best of all, when you walk in, you smell fresh, hot popcorn for purchase. Getting out of this place without buying any popcorn is near impossible…heads up.
Food and Service:
In this shop, these go hand-in-hand. First off, the displays do not “display” prices, but they are prominently listed on the menu at the counter.
Then, there are FREE SAMPLES of popcorn, many different flavors. The woman working today was absolutely great. She was so kind and welcoming to everyone. She gave samples (as many as some patrons wanted) without hesitation. She explained any questions, and she let me take all of these photos.
At the counter, as seen above, you can sample many flavors of popcorn (though none of the fruity-type flavors). It is very sanitary, as the employee divvies out samples with her own tool, into individualized mini-cups. I tried the cajun popcorn, which was very tasty, as well as the vanilla popcorn. (I would feel guilty trying more than that….hint,hint other people in the shop that didn’t end up buying anything.) I am more of a salt lover than a sugar lover, but that vanilla was my favorite, so good!
Also seen above, they have hot, fresh popcorn for purchase that changes each day. Today was a combo of their cheddar pop and their caramel pop, which was called their Chicago mix. I skipped out on that one.
What I did end up purchasing was the small (about $5 after tax) bag of “confetti” corn. It was too pretty to pass up and reminded me of my childhood, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong.
The confetti popcorn was different. It is not salty or savory in the least. It is candy-coated. If you are craving sweets, this will be perfect for you. It is full of flavors: grape, blue raspberry, blueberry, cherry, vanilla, orange, banana, strawberry, watermelon, and green apple. Though, I swear I ate a couple pieces of bubble-gum flavored, and about died. Yuck. (I hate that flavor, nothing against the popcorn). The rest are pretty tasty and have enough of a flavor difference that you can definitely do a blind-folded taste-test…which is the sort of thing I like to do for fun. Anyway, that small bag is now gone. It was enjoyed.
Extra Info:
The Pop Pop Shoppe offers not only bags of different flavored popcorn, or hot popcorn to go. It also offers many gift options, which are super cute. I would love a gift like these (hint, hint, Drew). Even more, they offer catering services with a popcorn bar. What?! And there are even fundraising offers.
I think this place is a great addition to Little Rock! I will be buying more there. HOWEVER, get some garlic flavored pop corn, please. I mean, come on. Everyone loves garlic, right? =)