It's been well over a year since Poppa Maize nabbed a year's worth of free rent in the Mill Avenue Retail Competition. Lately, we've been wondering whether the local popcorn purveyor's Tempe branch would ever materialize.
That day has finally arrived -- and can we just reiterate how brilliant of an idea it is to put an inexpensive popcorn shop next to a movie theatre.
Monday afternoon, the scent of sugar and popcorn wafted from the shop directly next to Madcap Theatre at Centerpoint for the first time. For now, the Tempe Poppa Maize has a basic setup, with twenty-four varieties of flavored popcorn in small, medium and/or large sizes.
They're currently importing bags of flavored popcorn from Poppa Maize's kitchen at 19th Avenue and Greenway. A back room and second floor at the Tempe branch offer potential for expansion in the future.
Prices range from $1.29 for a snack size bag to about $7 for the largest size or a little under sixteen bucks for a "baker's dozen" of small bags.
Flavors range from savory white cheddar and chili-lime to sweeter offerings including kettle corn, butter pecan, and toasted coconut. We're thinking it's a good sign that they were nearly sold out of three flavors on their first day.
Poppa Maize at Centerpoint is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
