Popcorn Pleasers continues a family tradition

By MIKE BOLLINGER

SMITHFIELD — Many times, people will refer to a big sporting event as a “Popcorn Match.”

If you indeed want popcorn to go along with your big event, then Popcorn Pleasers at Carolina Premium Outlets is the place for you.

Greenville native Zadrian Crandell is the owner of Popcorn Pleasers, assisted by family members and four employees. The business is dedicated to Crandell’s late brother, Kenneth “Popcorn Man” Jenkins, who died in December 2015.

“He was known for the sweet and salty recipe. That was the only flavor he had,” Crandell said. “He is the foundation of this business. We made a promise to each other that if one of us passed, the other would take on the business. Unfortunately, God called him before me. I wanted to fulfill my promise I had made to him. He had always said he wanted it to be a family business.”

Crandell said he started helping Jenkins in the popcorn business, and they began by selling at Williamsburg Premium Outlets in Virginia. “We decided to bring it back to North Carolina. No one was doing fresh popcorn here,” Crandell said.

While the store at Carolina Premium Outlets is Popcorn Pleasers’ first storefront, Crandell had been selling popcorn long before that. He said they started in Greenville in a 10-foot by 10-foot tent on the corner of Arlington Boulevard and Dickinson Avenue. “We were known for the red tent,” he said.

They also sold at flea markets in Rocky Mount, Greenville and Little Washington. Now, Crandell said, he is concentrating on the storefront in Smithfield. “We still serve the Greenville area some. We deliver there when people ask for it,” he said.

“We have been blessed since we came to Smithfield. We have consistent customers and repeat customers. I have to thank all of them for their business,” Crandell said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without our Smithfield customers.”

Jenkins had sold popcorn at the outlets before, Crandell said, from a tent set up near the Lane Bryant store. Crandell said he made the decision to return to Smithfield in 2017 while at a flea market in Rocky Mount.

“It wasn’t very busy that day, and I started wondering where all the people were. Then it dawned on me that they would be at the outlets,” Crandell said.

One of Popcorn Pleasers' repeat customers, Callie, pays owner Zadrian Crandell for her lemonade and popcorn. Callie said she visits the shop every time she is in Smithfield.

Mike Bollinger photo

He said he talked with Carolina Premium Outlets, and they told him he was welcome. “It just so happened we decided to come on, and within a month we were here. We started in front of Columbia in the grassy area in October 2020,” Crandell said.

Popcorn Pleasers opened the storefront July 31, 2021.

“It wasn’t anybody but God that directed us down this path. Patrick next door at Barbecue Provision was using this space for his sauces, and he wanted to get out of it. The only way he could get out of it was if someone rented it,” Crandell said. “We got a call one day asking if we wanted to look at the storefront. We weren’t looking for it, and we hadn’t asked about it. We saw it and just moved in. We have no regrets.”

Crandell said he indeed took a leap of faith by opening the storefront. “I left a good-paying job at Best Distributing in Goldsboro that I had for 17 years. I took a leap of faith and it’s been good,” he said.

Popcorn Pleasers offers several flavors, with something sure to satisfy just about every taste. The butter, sweet and salty and light salt flavors were the only three offered when Crandell was selling outside. Others were added after the storefront was opened.

These include kettle corn, cheddar cheese, caramel, Chicago Twist (a mix of five flavors), Chy! Town (caramel, cheddar and sweet and salty), white cheddar, Aunty’s Creation (a white cheddar and caramel mix), apple glaze (apple caramel), big puff butter (larger kernels of butter flavor), dill pickle, dill pickle ghost pepper, apple cinnamon (a spinoff of apple glaze), cheddar jalapeño and cheddar ghost pepper.

Free samples are available, and some of the specialty flavors are sold in smaller

“Our foot traffic has been good since we opened. Sometimes it gets overwhelming, especially on Saturdays,” he continued.

Fresh-squeezed lemonade is a very popular item. Crandell said he started offering lemonade while still selling outside. “The lemonade has really taken off. We sell 32-ounce cups and also have souvenir cups and gallon jugs. It is always fresh-squeezed and nothing ever sits overnight. It’ll knock you off your feet,” he said.

One customer, Callie, came in to get some of that lemonade and several bags of popcorn. “I come in here all the time when I’m in Smithfield,” she said. Other available beverages include Coke and Pepsi products and bottled water. “We hope to get to the point in the future where we need to add more employees. We’re going to take baby steps first. I want to treat people the way I want to be treated when I go in their store,” Crandell said. “Whatever your craft is, you have to keep at it.”

Crandell said he couldn’t be in business without the help of his mother, Betty Hayward, and his aunt, Brenda Jenkins. “They deserve much of the credit. I couldn’t have done this without them,” he said.

Popcorn Pleasers is also available for special events such as family functions and parties.

For more information, contact them at 919- 648-8731 or email popcornpleasers@gmail.com.