Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Tyler.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We both come from pretty humble beginnings, we grew up in very similar neighborhoods, but over 300 miles apart. Carl was raised on the South Side of Chicago and I, in East Cleveland, Ohio. Making it out of the neighborhoods we grew up in is considered by most to be an accomplishment in and of itself. However, I don’t think making it out ever felt like such a difficult endeavor to either of us.
Carl joined the Army right out of high school. It was in the Army that he began his long career in IT. He made a good life for himself in having specialized experience in Capacity Management, which is what led him to Atlanta in 2008; a job he couldn’t refuse.
I went to college after high school and became an elementary school teacher. I began my career in Cleveland and continued it here. My adventures in education included serving in many roles from kindergarten teacher to leader of teachers over a span of 13 years. This work was very rewarding for a long time, but I’d always wanted to try other things in life.
When Carl and I met in 2010, he was already on his way to becoming an entrepreneur and he definitely served as an inspiration over the years. Having the pleasure of knowing him helped me to understand that I could just as easily accomplish anything I wished. We were married in 2016 and I finally made the decision to follow in his footsteps, leave my safe career and become a business owner.
We considered many businesses before the popcorn shop. Carl is from Chicago, so he grew up with Garrett’s Popcorn and is a popcorn lover! It took a little convincing but eventually I decided I could do a popcorn shop if I could do it MY way – delicious, all-natural, gourmet popcorn in a space that looks nothing like a traditional popcorn shop. So here we are now, in business for a whole three months. 🙂
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road! It took at least five more months than we anticipated to get our doors open. I suppose it’s to be expected that when you’re creating a start-up business in a leased space that the build-out will take longer than quoted, and obtaining permits will be cumbersome, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality of it all. It took a lot of time, effort, patience and additional money to bring our vision to life.
When we opened our doors it felt so good, we could finally attempt to recoup some of our investment. We’re doing well for a brand new business, but it is still a daily challenge to get customers in the door and figure out ways to make this business successful in the bigger picture.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Indulge Gourmet Popcorn – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Indulge Gourmet Popcorn is a family owned and operated business. We make the popcorn ourselves; Carl pops the popcorn and I make the recipes. We work tirelessly to make sure our popcorn is delicious, that we always use the finest, non-GMO ingredients, that our kitchen is clean and our retail space is warm and inviting.
We have six consistent flavors that I make in small batches to ensure it is always fresh. Our flavor of the week is an additional flavor that changes each week and often comes from a customer suggestion. The two most recent flavor requests that we fulfilled were Cookies and Cream and Rosemary Garlic Parmesan. Our consistent flavors include “Zeal”: White Cheddar Jalapeño that comes with the option of bacon, “Opulence”: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut and “Decadence”: Caramel with Chocolate and Pecans. We use Ghirardelli chocolate for our chocolate applications, premium butter and vanilla extract in our caramel popcorn and I search high and low to find organic and non-GMO ingredients for every flavor of the week. This is quite a task, but we have to live by our claims.
Our retail space offers retail items like dessert candles and children’s books; items that would make great gifts alone or beside popcorn. We host events as well. On Sundays, we offer “Popcorn and Paint” for children where they have the opportunity to paint on canvas while snacking on popcorn. We host pop-up shops, galleries for the Castleberry Hill Art Stroll and lease event space for private events. We also cater events with personalized packages.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We plan to grow this business until it’s a recognizable name. We look forward to the day that we can open a second location.
Pricing:
- Delight: Simply Salted $4, $6
- Joy: Cheddar Cheese $7, $10
- Zeal: White Cheddar Jalapeño $8, $11
- Indulgence: Caramel $8, $11.50
- Decadence: Caramel w/Chocolate & Pecans $9, $12.50
- Opulence: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut $9, $12.50
- Harmony: Caramel and Cheddar Mix $7.50, $10.50
Contact Info:
- Address: 177 Peters St. SW Suite B Atlanta, GA 30313
- Website: indulgepopcorn.com
- Phone: 404-996-6907
- Email: indulgepopcorn@gmail.com
- Instagram: indulgepopocorn/
- Facebook: indulgepopcorn
- Twitter: indulgepopcorn/media
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/indulge-gourmet-popcorn-atlanta
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
