Angie's What's Poppin' Shoppe is a Ripley-based popcorn shop that I caught out at a festival. They had a number of popcorn flavors available - from dill and cheddar to skittles and toffee. The flavor list is long and wide, and they hope to expand in the future.



I tried the garlic parmesan flavor, which was addictive. It was difficult to choose because there were so many options that sounded delicious. I would love to try a sweet version next. That might have to be when I go visit the physical location in Ripley.



Grade: A

I've been coming across more and more popcorn made in West Virginia. Kettle corn, speciality popcorn - whatever it is, it's growing.



The Sugar Shanty makes appearances at local events and shops. I was recently able to check them out in Marmet and got my hands on some kettle corn.   



I was so tempted to get the fruity pebble kettle corn because look how gorgeous it is! But I went with the regular kettle corn, knowing the other might be too sweet for me to eat that much of. It was just a touch stale, but to be expected when it's been sitting on a shelf. Still tasty, though - always love that sweet and salty.

I have seen Scragglepop Kettlecorn in shops or events in the area, but I had no idea they had their own space in the mall in Barboursville.



"A lifetime of being unhappy with the popcorn that was found in holiday tins and local events, owner Dale Scragg sought to change that with his own kettlecorn creation, Scragglepop. After 13 years, Dale found the recipe to cure his popcorn unhappiness by creating a kettlecorn that is gluten-free, has zero trans-fat and uses no peanut oil. He created a snack that is better for you, more flavorful, and will never be stale, unlike the popcorn that you normally find in holiday tins and in the chip aisle at the store."



The kettle corn comes in a few different varieties, like chocolate, caramel apple, blueberry vanilla and more.  I tend to like the original flavor because it still has the integrity of the popcorn flavor - just ab it sweeter. Which is your favorite?

When I saw Wild and Wonderful Kettle Corn in Kanawha City, I had to go check it out. They have a small food trailer, and they set up in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot on Fridays during the fall. I got a small bag of each: White cheddar, pumpkin spice, kettle corn and caramel. Some made for gifts, but my favorite was kettle corn. I think I discovered kettle corn too late in life. The sweet/salty combo has my name written all over it. Surprisingly, I don't love caramel corn. Kettle corn is the way to go here.

Having a shop that specializes in popcorn is a trendy, welcome addition to cities. It's fun and a little whimsical. Wheeling has its own, and Pittsburgh has one. And, Shepherdstown has one, too: Mountaineer Popcorn Company.

Located along German Street, Mountaineer Popcorn Company has a really adorable storefront with a simple, cool design and chalkboard out front. As soon as you walk in, you see tons of flavors of popcorn.


Flavors include birthday cake, buffalo cheddar, buffalo wing, caramel, caramel cashew, cheddar, chesapeake, chocolate drizzled caramel, cookies & cream, dill pickle, garlic parmesan, jalapeno white cheddar, kettle corn, peanut butter cup, salt & vinegar, sea salt & black pepper, s'mores, sriracha, theater butter, and white cheddar.

We are a small company with big ambitions. The two of us (Mike and Erin Valasek) decided in April of 2015 that we wanted to start up a locally-grown popcorn business in beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  Not only did we want to produce great-tasting popcorn, but as parents of four young children, we wanted to give them the opportunity to see how businesses are created, successfully-maintained and grown. We knew that this would be an invaluable experience and, as you can see, they love advertising Mountaineer Popcorn!  We hope you enjoy our popcorn as much as our family does! (ABOUT)

I got the sour cream & onion mixed with cookies & cream in just a mini bag. It's a unique mixture, and it was really good! They both had those signature tastes, and the combination of the two was different but I dug the sweet and savory.

Have you been? What's your favorite flavor?

Chicago-style popcorn is a thing, and I got my first taste of it from popcorn legend Garrett Popcorn at the O'Hare Airport. But, that couldn't fully satisfy the bucket list item because, well, it's an airport. So, when I recently went to Chicago for a conference, Garrett Popcorn was one of my first destinations.

There are a bunch of Garrett Popcorn locations, and we just happened to hit the one nearest our hotel. There are a handful of flavors, and the Garrett Mix mixes the savory CheeseCorn and the sweet CaramelCrisp. Yes, please.

It's a fun combination of salty and sweet - how can you go wrong? It's not unlike the location at the airport - which is good. Both churned out tasty popcorn with the best of both worlds.



Grade: A 

Mmm Popcorn is a new-ish gourmet popcorn shop in downtown Wheeling. Gourmet popcorn, you ask? Yes, and I'm a big fan.

When I first walked in, I guess I was a bit underwhelmed. I was thinking Pittsburgh Popcorn Company, and you kinda get the tamed down version of that. But, that's OK. There are a few plastic bins full of a few kinds of popcorn to the right, and a mirrored wall to the left has the handwritten variations available.

On this day, the "buckeye" is what sounded most exciting. Chocolate, caramel. Because yes.

Overall, it's pretty good. I was hoping for drizzled caramel on top of the popcorn instead of the all-over kind, but that's neither here nor there. I love the idea of fancy popcorn in Wheeling because I love fancy popcorn (salty + sweet is my jam).

A little bit more refinement and general ambiance inside the shop would do wonders. Until then, the popcorn will keep me coming back.

Grade: A