Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Vinzant
Mike, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Originally Houstonians, we spent several years vacationing in New Braunfels, spending as much time as we could in or on the Guadalupe River. Tired of the hustle and bustle we spent countless hours trying to figure out how we could make this paradise our home. We both had long term careers in Houston, me as a supervisor for a marine tankerman company and my wife as an elementary school nurse. Moving and being able to make a living just seemed like a pipe dream, so in 2015 we satisfied ourselves by buying a small home in Canyon Lake with plans to visit as much as possible.
Fast forward to the summer of 2016, my wife fell, resulting in a spinal cord injury requiring emergency surgery and several months of rehab. It was during that time we realized that life is short, as is the ability to enjoy it, so we set forth on a dream that had been on the backburner for some time…opening a popcorn shop. We quickly made the decision to give it a go, selling our home and belongings in Houston with a “sink or swim” mentality and found a quaint little spot to open shop in the Gruene Lake Village.
We opened our doors December 17, 2016, and haven’t looked back. We’ve been popping for just over 8 years and are still in awe of the community and the support we receive every day. Our biggest goal, besides having great tasting popcorn, is our commitment to customer service. Honestly though, that part hasn’t been a challenge, as our customers have made it easy and even fun. We fell in love with New Braunfels, and we definitely feel the love back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business is always a challenge. For us personally, we’ve struggled with issues like Covid, supply issues, finding more employees that meet our expectations, trying to learn the aspects of back office and advertising…the list goes on. The biggest challenge though has been finding a work/life balance that works for us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Popbelly’s is a gourmet popcorn shop located in the Gruene Lake Village of New Braunfels, approximately a half mile away from the historic Gruene Hall. We make and sell over 50 flavors of popcorn with options to purchase different bag sizes, tins and other gifting options. Our customers are always invited to unlimited samples in order to find the perfect popcorn that will satisfy their sweet (or savory) tooth. In addition to our usual flavors, we also add in “monthly” or “seasonal” flavors…this gives even our most seasoned customers something new to try. Our most popular flavor, without a doubt, is our Dill Pickle popcorn. It has always been our best seller.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://popbellyspopcorn.com
- Instagram: @popbellyspopcorn
- Facebook: Popbelly’s Popcorn
- Other: @popbellys on Tik Tok
