As first reported here in April, Proper Popcorn, whose original location is in west Knoxville, had it sights set on a Market Square location. That plan became a reality on Thursday of last week, when it opened at 29 Market Square. It was the second business to open on the square in a five-day period.
Taking the location vacated eleven months ago by Knoxville Chocolate, co-owner Adam Johnson, one of three brothers who own the business said they had a steady flow of customers from the time they opened. Being a weird numbers guy, I sat on Market Square Friday night and watched the two new businesses for a bit. In the ten minutes I watched Proper Popcorn, nineteen people went inside. Not a bad customer rate.
While smaller than the original location, the Market Square store will offer a wide range of the fifty flavors of popcorn the company makes and they’ll be rotating those through. Bags range in size from snack size, to the “proper,” which serves somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 people. I bought a “small” (cheese and bacon, $8) and ate two solid bowls of popcorn and had more than half left.
They also sell tins of popcorn which may include from one to three different flavors. The smaller downtown store also sells a selection of chocolates, candies, gifts and games. I was surprised at how many of each are available. It would be easy to pick up a party pack of games, candy, and popcorn for a Friday night.
They also sell gift items and a range of vintage drinks. They also have Knoxville related items and all popcorn is made on premises. They have a fully functional kitchen at the location that will serve up downtown’s popcorn.
Check out the new location at 29 Market Square and check them out online on their website. The store will be open Monday through Thursday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday, 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Sundays noon – 8:00 pm.
