Patrick Thornton

age: 30 | Owner | Pop Pop Shoppe

Ragin Cajun. Pickles Pickles. Butter Cream Caramel. Salt & Vinegar. Blueberry. Who doesn’t love to try all of these popcorn flavors? As the owner of Pop Pop Shoppe, Patrick Thornton’s responsibilities are quite varied and diverse. “Roughly, I attempt to balance the needs of Sales and Operations in the business and ensure that neither wins out over the other,” he says. Through trial and error, Patrick has learned the key to the success of his businesses and now has numerous Pop Pop Shoppe locations in Texarkana (as well as locatons in Little Rock and Conway). He continues, “I wanted to build a great business in my hometown to prove that you didn’t have to leave Texarkana to accomplish big things.”

Best piece of advice:

“IF IT’S GONNA HAPPEN, IT’S GONNA HAPPEN OUT THERE.” – CAPTAIN RON

Making gourmet popcorn that pleases his customers and keeps them coming back for more is Patrick’s mission. Coming up with a Cornferno flavor, also known as “the hottest popcorn in the world,” is a professional feat that makes Patrick very proud while reading the Kindle version of The Chesterton Collection three times is his most noteworthy personal feat.

It’s fair to say that Patrick Thornton is appropriately dubbed “Lord Popcorn.” When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, he replies, “Building a great tower to overlook a fine field and watching as the hay beneath is collected and pressed into bales.”

Name something about you that very few people know:

“Given the nature of the industry I am in and the intentionally specific wording of the claim I am about to make, it is almost entirely certain that I, Patrick Thornton, am the greatest high volume gourmet popcorn maker in the history of the known universe.”