Whether you’re from Bluffton, Ohio, or Harrisonburg, Virginia, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Company is always a source of freshly popped popcorn. With friendly staff and amazing service, it’s hard to find a better popcorn shop in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Shirley’s gets their raw popcorn from Greenacres, a corn farm in Dayton, VA. Greenacres is a non-GMO and family-owned farm. This partnership benefits the local farm and Shirley’s. In addition to the already fresh popcorn from Greenacres, Shirley’s pops their corn every day.
Throughout our interview with the staff and purchasing experience at the shop, we noticed one theme that prevailed: upbeat service. The staff members served all their customers with a smile on their faces.
Aiden Giron, a Shirley’s employee, loves his experience with the company.
“They’re super nice. All the managers and bosses are really upbeat,” Giron said. In addition to great service, Giron says there are different types of popcorn at Shirley’s. “There’s two different types of popcorn. There’s butterfly popcorn. That’s what we use to make cheddars.” Giron said “Then there’s mushroom popcorn. The mushroom popcorn is for all the caramel popcorn.” Using the two main shapes, Shirley’s has 11 prominent flavors including, Duke Dog crunch, dark salted caramel, and their classic, theater style.
Shirley (the founder of the store) had the idea for her own popcorn shop while working in a theater in Bluffton, Ohio. The auditorium was called Shannon’s Theater where she worked the concession stand. While there she realized that popcorn didn’t need to accompany a movie when the audience asked for extra popcorn to take home. This led to the beginning of a seven-store chain.
It’s clear that Shirley’s cares about their customers. Staffers are upbeat and polite to their patrons. Their homemade popcorn is fresh and delicious. Most of all the store has a captivating story and an amazing staff.
Story by Nathaniel Kvernen
Photo Essay by Grace Daniels and Maryam Maqableh
