I Am Popcorn opened a gourmet popcorn shop in the former site of Bomber's BBQ in Munster.
The popcorn shop at 439 Ridge Road offers about 20 different flavors, including a dill pickle, bacon cheddar, the traditional Chicago mix of caramel and cheese, and a Munster mix that blends cheese, caramel and butter. There's also a buttery white cheddar they created by accident that proved popular.
Recently retired Hammond schools administrator Michael Carey and his wife Sharon Carey opened the new shop in Munster to fulfill her lifelong dream. She used to sell popcorn on her back porch as a kid so she could stay out longer with her friends.
"Since she was a little girl, this was always a dream for her," he said. "She really introduced me to popcorn ... We did a lot of work to get this building cleaned up and start selling popcorn here."
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I Am Popcorn sells popcorn, candy bars, cashews, other nuts and soft drinks. The 2,200-square-foot retail business still has about 30 to 34 chairs leftover from its barbecue restaurant days, so the Careys are looking to rent the space out for private parties. They may also host events after regular business hours, such as girls' night outs and bowl game watch parties.
The shop is principally takeout, but people are invited to stop in and stay awhile if they purchase a tin of popcorn.
"We plan to rotate flavors and phase out those that aren't selling well," he said. "We're going to start offering Christmas tins just in time of the holidays."
The business is named after a Biblical verse in which God said to Moses "I am who I am."
"This is a strong Christian-based business," Carey said.
The owners are interested in adding products like hot dogs to encourage more people to dine in, since they already have the seating. They plan to launch a food truck to visit food festivals, offer catering to weddings and parties and potentially open more locations in the future.
They have more than 60 recipes for popcorn and focus on traditional flavors but have some like jalapeño cheddar and mac and cheese. Carey is looking into steak-flavored popcorn, more chocolate flavors, and a cinnamon bun flavor.
I Am Popcorn sells popcorn in tins of various sizes with a choice of up to three varieties.
"It's just a popular food right now," Carey said. "People want a snack that's healthier than sweets and candy. Caramel corn might have a lot of sugar but other varieties are healthier. It's gluten-free, there's no MSG, it's generally healthier."
I Am Popcorn is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 219-595-5300 or find the business on Facebook.
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New popcorn shops just keep popping up throughout the Region.
We're Popp'in, a national gourmet popcorn and lemonade franchise, opened at 6715 Kennedy Ave in Hammond and in 80th Place Plaza in Merrillville.
The Merrillville popcorn shop is 1,668 square feet at 64 W. 80th Place, tucked in a multitenant strip mall built in 1977 at the northwest corner of Broadway at 80th in a "prominent location within Northwest Indiana’s primary office and retail submarket," according to the commercial brokerage Bradley Company.
We’re Popp'in, which claims "popcorn is the new cupcake," offers gourmet lemonades like Mojito Mint as well as 25 gourmet popcorn flavors, including relatively exotic options like Flaming Dill, Ghost Pepper Hot, Mediterranean Herb, and Strawberry Cheesecake.
To reach the Hammond location, call 219-670-2107. To reach the Merrillville store, call 219 750-9190.
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Escapeville, an escape room center, also opened a new escape room at 64 W. 80th Place in Merrillville.
It features two scenarios: Museum Heist in which you're a small-town crook who must steal a 19th-century painting by tortured genius Vincent Van Gogh before the security guard comes back from his lunch break and Crime Scene in which a team of detectives has 60 minutes to find the murder weapon and solve a horrific murder.
Bradley Company’s Steve Nicksic and Jim Nicksic represented both the tenant and the landlord, Great Lakes Capital, in the transaction.
“These recent transactions highlight our team’s ability to meet the diverse needs of our clients,” Senior Broker Jim Nicksic said. “We are excited to play a key role in finding the right location for these new arrivals to Northwest Indiana, drawing on the expertise of our senior team to develop customized solutions for their specific site requirements.”
For more information, call Escapeville at 219-648-2139 or visit www.escapeville.fun.
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Total Spectrum Care opened its first Indiana center at 5281 Fountain Dr. in Crown Point.
The Elmhurst-based company that specializes in Applied Behavior Analysis services for families and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders has centers in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. It will occupy 4,260 square feet at the Park Center in Crown Point, a seven-building, 75,000-square-foot office park on Route 40.
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Starbucks opened its second coffee shop in Hammond, the only city in North Lake County it has a presence in.
The Seattle-based coffee titan, ubiquitously known for its strong and sugary coffee drinks, opened a $1.5 million, 2,100-square-foot standalone store in the Marina District redevelopment area on Indianapolis Boulevard near the Horseshoe Casino, the Five Points intersection and the Chicago border.
Starbucks's second Hammond location at 906 Indianapolis Blvd offers a drive-through, nitro cold brew, Google wi-fi, mobile ordering, LaBoulange Cafe items and oven-warmed foods.
The coffee shop is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
For more information, call 219-741-9425 or visit www.starbucks.com.
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K Dental Care opened at 340 Indianapolis Boulevard in the same strip mall as Smallcakes, Buona Beef and McAlister's Deli in Schererville.
"It's a general dental office for families," owner and dentist Keith Kou said. "We offer everything from fillings to crowns, bridges, implants and extractions. We do cosmetic work, CT scans for the more complex procedures and wisdom tooth extraction. We have a laughing gas facility for those who are very anxious to ease them down, especially children."
The New York University graduate hails from a family of dentists and dental technicians. He's opening his first practice in Schererville.
"It has nice visibility off the street and nice open windows," he said. "We have sunlight in here. It's a great community and the people coming in here have been great."
K Dental Care accepts any type of PPO insurance and offers prescription plans for discounted services for the uninsured.
"We'll work with anybody," Kou said. "If you can't make it in at 5, we'll stay until 6. We take appointments at any time. We'll work with you to make sure it's affordable. Our longterm goal is to be an established part of the community."
The business is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, call 219-319-1177, visit www.kdentalcare.com, find the business on Facebook or email info@kdentalcase.com.
If you've got tips about new stores or restaurants anywhere in the Region, or just wonder what's under construction somewhere, contact NWI Business Ins and Outs columnist Joseph S. Pete at joseph.pete@nwi.com or 219.933.3316.