Great American Popcorn Works Pops Up In Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Business is popping at 33 East State Street just across from the County Theater.

Inside the former Divinci's barbershop next to Siren Records, shelves are filled with bags of gourmet and caramel popcorn waiting for customers to take home and enjoy.

The Great American Popcorn Works of Pennsylvania, which has built a reputation for mouth-watering popcorn in nearby Telford, has opened a retail shop on East State Street in the heart of Doylestown and locals with a fondness for the popped kernels are eating it up.

The shop, which opened quietly on March 16, is a work in progress. Shelves are gradually being filled with products. But before too long, every inch of space inside the small storefront will be brimming with goodness, according to its owners.

The new store is owned by a familiar face to Doylestown - Fire Marshal Scott Fleischer, who also serves as chief of the Point Pleasant Fire Company. His brother, Steve, runs the Telford store which has been in operation since 1978 and in the Fleischer family for the past two decades.

The new Doylestown location will be strictly retail, offering the best of the Great American Popcorn Works in Telford where all the popcorn continues to be manufactured.

"We'll be carrying just about everything we carry in Telford in slightly smaller quantities," said Fleischer. "We will stock everything that people like from all-natural popcorn to regular cheddar and white cheddar and chocolate drizzled."

Products line the shelves inside the new popcorn store. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

They'll also be carrying more than 12 gourmet flavors like dill pickle, ranch, salt and vinegar, sriracha cheddar, jalapeno, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar and nacho, just to name a few.

"We also have a whole line of kettle corn, which people like. That's a little sweet and salty at the same time," said Fleischer. "And then we have all the caramel flavors.

"We have a birthday cake caramel, peanut butter cup, butter almond, and a maple walnut. You name it, we got it," said Fleischer of the caramel confections. "Cashew toffee crunch is one of our hottest ones. Butterscotch nut is another. We also have one with a coffee flavor to it."

During the recent St. Patrick's Day holiday, the store offered a special green mint caramel with dark chocolate drizzle. And for Easter, they are selling jellybean delight - a sweet and salty caramel popcorn decorated with jellybeans.

In addition to its popcorn, the store is carrying a line of nut butters from Nutty Novelties; flavored pretzels from Tabora Farms in Chalfont; and its own brand of coffee that is specially roasted out in Lancaster County.

"We also have a coffee roaster here in Doylestown. Look for East State Street coffee coming soon," he said.

"We're going to pack this place so full you'll have everything you want right in this space," said Fleischer.

"We have a really good product. It's all handcraft small-batch made at our Telford store. It's not a big company that's making this by the truckload," he said.

"We're using the same recipes that were used 50 years ago," said Fleischer. "We use the best ingredients in our manufacturing process. We don't skimp when we make our products. And our product doesn't sit on the shelves long. When you come in, it's super fresh."

The kernels are grown at a small farm in Lancaster County, which has been providing seeds to the Great American Popcorn Works of Pennsylvania for nearly 50 years.

Fleischer said he is planning a grand opening celebration for the weekend of April 5, 6 and 7, which coincides with National Caramel Popcorn Day on Saturday, April 6.

"If you come in, you'll be hooked for life," Fleischer promises. "Once you try our popcorn you'll love it. You won't go anywhere else."

For more information about the Great Popcorn Works of Pennsylvania and its hours of operation, click here. Or you can visit their Facebook page for the latest information.