There’s a new place in town that is sure to become a Harrisonburg favorite in no time. If you have walked down Water Street in the past week you may have noticed the smell of buttery goodness wafting through the air. Now you can experience that buttery (or sweet, or choclatey, or spicy, or cheesy) goodness in your mouth. Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Company has officially opened. And we are officially big fans.

Rachel Yoder, the general manager, gave us a little history as to how Shirley ended up in the ‘burg.

RY: Two of our owners went to school at Bluffton University in Ohio and they knew Shirley because she worked at the movie theatre there, which is where the popcorn all started. They had people who would come in for just popcorn and they wouldn’t stay for the movie. And they realized they could probably do something with this – and that’s when Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn began. So from that connection in Ohio [our owners (Rob & Lisa Roeschley and Luisa & Wayne Witmer)] decided, why not bring the best of Bluffton to Harrisonburg?

Mmmmmmm….. so much chocolatey scrumptiousness….

The Original is well… the original flavor that will make you feel like you’re sitting in that movie theatre in Bluffton. Classic flavors include any of the showstoppers that don’t have chocolate. And Premium is where the drizzled chocolate happens (paired with all kinds of different mouth-watering flavors).

Jelly Bean flavor? Why yes, of course! And don’t miss the flavor of the month – Caramel Apple.

Check out that chocolate…

The sign says it all.

Zach, enjoying his sample of the Afterburner.

It does have a kick to it.

You’ve been warned.

Buy a tin of popcorn. Devour said popcorn. Then bring the tin back for half-off refills. Buying a tin is a worthwhile investment in your popcorn future.

You can add dividers to a 2-gallon (or larger) tin and fill the tin with 2 or 3 different flavors. If sealed, the coated popcorn can last 4-6 weeks and the uncoated (like the cheddar flavors) can last 3-4 weeks. But trust me… you won’t be able to make it last that long.

So many flavors…

Sample a few before deciding which is your favorite!

They even have a rewards program… because, let’s face it, you will be going back for more.

Still need some convincing to check it out for yourself?

Just ask Chris what he thinks of the popcorn…

He’s a fan.

So do yourself a delicious favor and stop on by.

The store is located at 102 South Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg.