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player ready...Popcorn is popcorn is popcorn. But a new shop downtown on Broad Street is challenging this axiom. Lady’s Gourmet Popcorn is not your run-of-the-mill snack destination.
Patti Haugh and her daughter, Amanda Sanow, opened the doors a little more than a year ago and business has been brisk.
“How unusual this place is — so many flavors to try,” said Jo Anne Johnson of Dyer, as she brought in her two sons to check out the shop. “This place is cozy, fun and so different!”
Indeed, the business not only offers myriad flavors, but the product itself is larger than usual popped kernels.
“We offer fun, crazy, exotic, spicy and amazing flavors,” said Haugh, who resides in Griffith. “Popcorn is pure fun and an affordable treat. Our shop is trendy and everyone needs delicious popcorn in their lives.”
The new company is named in honor of Haugh’s mother.
“My mom’s nickname was Lady. Even her children called her that,” Haugh said. “The caramel corn was her own recipe. She made it for family, friends and for the holidays.”
When her mother died in 2005, Haugh continued the tradition and gave packages of caramel corn as Christmas gifts.
Sanow suggested a tent at the outdoor Griffith Central Market during the warmer months in Central Park on Broad Street. And the mother-daughter duo named their booth Lady’s Gourmet Popcorn. The positive market experience was a good indicator that their business would go over well as a stand-alone and the two developed a business plan.
Bob and Sharon Higginson of Dyer heard about the popcorn shop from friends and decided to stop in.
“It’s great that we have a place like this locally. It beats going to Chicago (for gourmet popcorn),” Sharon Higginson said, during a recent visit.
Schererville resident Barbara Sarnovski agrees.
“How wonderful something like this is so close to home, it’s so convenient,” she said. “Everyone loves popcorn.”
Business has been brisk, even with the recent bad weather.
Haugh’s husband, Terry, helps during busy hours, as well as their other daughter Carly and son-in-law Jason. The grandkids also do small tasks, such as putting stickers on the bags and changing the seasonal decorations.
Among unusual requests have been root beer float, Sour Patch Kids, chili cheese fries and porterhouse steak. “And we made them all,” Haugh said.
Sizes for all appetites are offered. Brown paper bags, waxed inside to keep popcorn fresh, come in snack size, medium and large.
And for those bigger families — or bigger appetites — a 1-gallon bucket is available. Repeat customers enjoy an unusual perk: When they bring back their gallon container, they receive a discount on the refill.
Flavors change weekly at Lady’s Gourmet Popcorn, but the regular standbys — cheddar, caramel corn and a spicy choice — are always at the ready. Past flavors have included candy apple caramel, birthday cake, margarita lime, hot wing cheddar, pizza, tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Haugh and Sanow continue be creative, so it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what they’ve been up to. And it’s definitely a labor of love for these two entrepreneurs. They aim to please.
“We have the best customers on earth,” Haugh said. “Everyone is happy to be in the popcorn shop.”
IF YOU GO
Lady’s Gourmet Popcorn
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Location: 223 N. Broad St., Griffith
Information: (219) 743-7858, http://www.ladysgourmetpopcorn.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday