Many local shops closed their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, some voluntarily and others forced to close by executive orders. Now, those stay-at-home orders have been lifted and places are beginning to open their doors one again.
We're helping get the word out. Meet My Popcorn Kitchen in Scottsdale.
"Think about us for movie night, anything stay-at-home and graduations coming up! Come and visit us," said Kim Brush, owner of My Popcorn Kitchen in Scottsdale, during a recent interview with ABC15.
Her pop-ular popcorn shop has been open near Scottsdale Road, north of Thunderbird, for nearly eight years; she opened in June 2012.
"We have about 120 recipes worth of popcorn flavors," she said, including salted white, kettle, caramel, beer cheddar, bacon cheddar, blueberry, Meyer lemon, watermelon, grape, and green apple..to name a few.
Brush said she voluntarily closed her shop in April and remain closed for a few weeks. "We opened up on May 6 so we've only been open a few days now and our customers are supporting us big time, she said. "We love our customers. They are absolutely number one.
Like other restaurants and businesses, they've also implemented new safety protocols to encourage social distancing to protect her employees and guests. There are now signs showing customers how to walk around the store, one door is to enter and the other to exit, and markings have been placed on the ground to mark six-foot distances.
For those who may not want to come into the store right away, Brush said people can order online or over the phone and drive to the store for curbside pickup.
"We make everything from scratch. All of our ingredients are made or produced and grown in the United States... and every time we make a flavor, everything is made from scratch, in house in the back in our kitchen," she said.
Brush said normally her business caters to resorts, catering companies, businesses and events, but those events are not happening right now. However, she is more than grateful that people are coming in to buy her popcorn for their own family-run movie nights.
"We usually sell our gifts, gift tins for special occasions, for the Christmas holiday season, or for events like graduation, or Mother's Day or birthdays," she said. They have quite the selections, including tins with NFL teams (Go Cards!).
"We want to act as if this (COVID) didn't happen," Kim said. "So, we just want to get back to business, serve our customers, serve our community and provide a really great product."
IF YOU GO:
My Popcorn Kitchen
14202 N Scottsdale Rd Suite 149, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-903-6345
We're Open, Arizona: We know this is a tough time for a lot of people in our community, including local restaurants and businesses. As local spots continue to serve takeout, look for ways to safely do business, and give back to our community, we want to share their stories. Visit abc15.com/open or email us at OpenInAZ@abc15.com.
