Black Tastemakers: Cozy Fayetteville popcorn shop is a sweet taste of childhood
Welcome to Black Tastemakers, an occasional series that highlights African American excellence and influence on the Fayetteville-area food scene. Nominate Black culinary professionals and entrepreneurs by emailing tshook@gannett.com.
At Popcorn-Is-Us in Fayetteville, an unassuming storefront gives way to a cozy interior, where the walls are a warm yellow, the air is filled with the aroma of popping kernels and caramelized sugar, and ‘80s music plays softly on the radio.
Behind the counter is Faith Tucker-Bassett, shop owner and one-woman force who keeps childhood memories of her late father, Trillier "TJ" Tucker, alive with fresh popcorn and warmhearted charm.
Tucker-Bassett, 62, said her father died decades before she opened the shop in Rosehill Shopping Center about three years ago, but she knows he would love it.
She said she holds dear girlhood memories of her father making popcorn in a kettle over the fireplace at their home in Woodmere, a village east of Cleveland, Ohio. He added whatever toppings he had on hand, like cheese or nuts, she recalled Thursday.
“He just loved being Dad and we loved loving him,” she said. She is the second oldest of TJ Tucker's three girls. “He was the best dad.”
Her love of specialty popcorn and those memories of her father are what prompted her to open the store at Rosehill Road and Country Club Drive, she said.
She said she adopted the laid-back, friendly nature her father used with customers of his landscaping business in Ohio, and later at his convenience store in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“He was mild-mannered and that drew people to him,” she said. “I feel like I have that.”
On a cloudy afternoon last week, a regular stopped in to the shop for a bucket of kettle popcorn. The women chatted about the customer's recent meal from a local restaurant and her husband’s chicken coop.
Tucker-Bassett said that such glimpses into her regulars’ lives are what she loves the most about running the shop.
Owner keeps Fayetteville treat shop popping
Popped fresh in-house daily, Tucker-Bassett said she sells about 150 gallons of popcorn weekly.
She makes dozens of flavors, with sweet treats like green apple, pina colada and red velvet and savory snacks like cheddar jalapeno, ranch and dill pickle.
Related: A chain restaurant closed after 30 years in Fayetteville. Here's what's coming in its place
Some of the flavorings come from distributors, while others are Tucker-Bassett's own creations. She said that one of the house-made flavors she’s most proud of is caramel pecan, in which popcorn is coated in butter, brown sugar and whole pecans. Sweet and nutty, it’s reminiscent of a pecan praline.
The banana pudding popcorn, which is studded with miniature vanilla wafer cookies, topped with a vanilla drizzle and packed with banana flavor, is another of Tucker-Bassett's proprietary blends, as is the cookies and cream popcorn.
Her popcorn is as eye-catching as it is delicious, which makes it a popular choice for birthday parties, baby showers and weddings, she said. About half of her business comes from special orders.
What’s next for Popcorn-Is-Us?
This summer, she and her husband will travel to his native Turks and Caicos Islands in the West Indies to explore opening a shop there. In the next five years, she hopes to have three stores.
Black Tastemakers: Read about African Americans in the Fayetteville food scene to watch
But the Rosehill Road store in Fayetteville will always feel like home, she said.
“This was like my baby," she said. "I like my little spot right here."
The details
Address: 3300 Rosehill Road, Suite 103
Phone: 910-705-6716
On the web: popcornisus.com and facebook.com/popcornisus
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday
Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Popcorn-Is-Us serves up a sweet taste of childhood in Fayetteville, NC
