Business already popping for Popcorn Bar in downtown Barrington
Opening a popcorn store during a pandemic while juggling another business and raising three young children?
Sure, said Ashley Ryan, who with her husband, Zach, and mother, Dawn Kramer, recently opened Popcorn Bar in downtown Barrington.
The Ryans live in Lakewood with their children - two boys, ages 6 and 4, and a girl, 3 - and own a chiropractic business in Crystal Lake. After their plan to open a popcorn store with another person fell through a couple of years ago, they decided it was time to take the plunge. They opened Popcorn Bar in late November at 117 S. Hough St.
The store offers 40 flavors of popcorn, ranging from classics like the Chicago Mix of caramel and cheddar, to kid-friendly concoctions like Iron Man (cherry candied popcorn with gold chocolate) and Mermaid Munch (frosted animal cookie flavor with Sixlets).
There are hot varieties, like Buffalo Wing, Jalapeño Ranch and Habanero Cheddar, and sweet ones, like Cinnamon Kettle, Cookies and Cream and Snickers. Ryan and her mother, who share popcorn-making duties, are open to suggestions from customers, hence the creation of Pizza popcorn.
The bestseller is Puppy Chow, melted chocolate and peanut butter poured over buttered popcorn with powdered sugar. "I have to make it practically every single day because we run out," Ryan said.
Like most popcorn stores, Popcorn Bar doesn't use butter; instead, the butter flavor comes from coconut oil, which has no trans fat, Ryan said. Additionally, Popcorn Bar uses white coconut oil, instead of vegetable oil, for white popcorn, she said. "I wanted to give people the healthiest option."
The business venture came together with the essential assistance of Kramer, who quit her job as director of nursing for an assisted living facility in Muskego, Wisconsin, and moved in with her daughter. The Ryans divide their time so one of them is at home with their children while they keep their chiropractic business running.
Ashley Ryan said they picked the Barrington location after deciding against Crystal Lake, which already has a popcorn store downtown.
"When found out I was going to have help, as in my mom, we started looking and downtown Barrington was a place that we thought would be great. We've loved Barrington for a long time," she said.
The 1,000-square-foot space on Hough Street was formerly home to Super G's Cheesesteaks, which closed this summer.
Business in December has been very good, but opening during the COVID-19 pandemic "is definitely a scary time," Ashley Ryan said. "But also it was the only time that worked for my family, so I felt like it just got to a point like, 'It's now or never.'"
Kramer said she's been happy to help and plans to move back to Wisconsin when things are up and running. "The people of Barrington are extremely welcoming," she said, adding the job is physical but a lot of fun. "It's been wonderful."
The store is open Tuesday to Saturday. Popcorn comes in different bag sizes, tins and gift boxes. For more information visit popcornbar.co or facebook.com/PopcornBarInc.