Gist: Sixty-plus flavors of popcorn
Who: Jim Ford, 57, a retired Marine Corps musician
Started: In 2009 “when the economy tanked, people couldn’t afford beauty treatments,” says Ford, so his girlfriend (now wife) Helen Ford, an esthetician and massage therapist, looked for a new line of work.
Inspiration: When Helen visited Dallas with her sister and left a popcorn store, surprising herself by spending $25 worth of kernels, her sister suggested they open their own shop in Houston. Now married and living together in Fredericksburg, Ford replicated his wife’s business model and opened The Popcorn Bag in January 2013; Helen is back to esthetics.
Details: “We can match any kind of food, or dish, in popcorn,” says Ford, who employs oils, seasonings, spices—and the real thing—including actual bacon, chocolate and cheese, to create wide-ranging flavors. His time stationed in Japan influenced his next batch of flavors: wasabi soy ranch, seaweed and green tea. The Popcorn Bag makes three types of flavored popcorns: savory (bacon cheeseburger, coconut curry and chicken and waffles); candy and caramel; (sour watermelon tastes just like a Jolly Rancher); and specialty (birthday cake, orange creamsicle and salted dark chocolate caramel).
Next: By the end of this month, Ford hopes to open his second location, also in Fredericksburg, in a bigger space that will allow him to double capacity and introduce online ordering. / thepopcornbag.net —Stefanie Gans
(October 2014)
