Belleville couple beats COVID blues popping perfect popcorn. Where can you get some?
Stephanie Williams was sequestered at home, toiling away at her desk job, free of COVID-19 but stricken with the pandemic blues.
That’s when an idea popped into her head. With the support of her husband, Eddie Williams, she’d open a popcorn shop.
Four months later, The Perfect Pop Gourmet Popcorn is serving up a full gamut of flavors from sweet to savory.
“I’ve always been a good cook,” says Williams, and “I’ve always wanted to do something more.”
She considered selling fried chicken plates, but Eddie was the “mastermind” behind her pursuit of The Perfect Pop. She knew she found the right recipes when sampling among friends and employees at a local warehouse turned into requests for more.
A business was born.
Williams set up The Perfect Pop Gourmet Popcorn Facebook page in late June and started taking orders online. The page also allows customers to schedule free delivery appointments.
As business grew, so did the need for space to fill orders. The Williamses looked into setting up a booth at the Vine Street Market in O’Fallon, but another local popcorn seller, Ella & Ollie Popcorn, who is also now their supplier, already had a booth at that market. So they moved on to the Belleville Old Town Farmers’ Market in August, where they’ve been successful.
Stephanie Williams has since joined the Turkey Hill Grange, at the invitation of Charles Treser, who offered up the group’s industrial kitchen to The Perfect Pop’s use. They’ll be selling their gourmet popcorn from a trailer at the Grange on Saturdays, to coincide with Eckert’s Belleville Country Store and Farms next door.
You’ll may also find The Perfect Pop at other area vendor events. Williams also can fill orders for party favors and private events.
Business is “developing really, really well,” said Williams. “Really well.”
For now, the Williamses continue to work their full time jobs and raise their family in addition to their new venture. The goal, though, is a brick-and-mortar shop.
“We’re taking so much joy in [this experience], in our marriage,” Stephanie Williams said on the couple’s behalf. “It’s something we are doing together.”
About The Perfect Pop Gourmet Popcorn:
The Perfect Pop offers 13 regular and specialty flavors, all homemade by Williams. Flavors include Insanely Delicious Strawberry Cheesecake, The Addictive Turtle, Cheddar with a Jalapeno Twist and Fully Loaded Baked Potato. Williams also continues to work on new flavors and features them as flavors of the week, offered for a limited time. Suggestions from customers are welcome.
The Perfect Pop provides free delivery service in Belleville and surrounding areas within a 15-mile radius for orders of $20 or more. The delivery area includes Belleville, Fairview Heights, Swansea and Shiloh, as well as Millstadt, Cahokia and East St. Louis. Deliveries outside this area are available with large orders.
Three sizes are available for each of their flavors: Snack size 2 cups; regular size 7 cups; large size 13 cups. Prices for regular flavors are $3, $7, $11 and specialty flavors run $3.50, $8, $12. A two-gallon (32 cups) popcorn tin is also available starting at $35.
The Perfect Pop Gourmet Popcorn can be purchased in person from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays at Turkey Hill Grange, 1375 E. state Route 15 in Belleville. Online orders can be placed on The Perfect Pop’s Facebook page and newly launched website at www.theperfectpopgourmetpopcorn.com.
For more information, call 618-560-3328 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
