Business is popping for a gourmet popcorn shop based in the heart of Fort Worth.
Pop-N-Cream is a family-owned popcorn and ice cream shop that sells over 90 flavors of gourmet popcorn and about 20 to 50 other confectionary treats. The business is run by father-son duo Ivan L. Johnson Sr. and his son Ivan L. Johnson Jr., who serve as the company’s president and vice president, respectively.
With a catalog of nearly 100 popcorn options, Pop-N-Cream is able to offer flavors to match any occasion or palate. Some of the hottest sellers, according to Johnson Sr., include Oreo, Caramel Pecan, and Movie Butter. However, he says Dill Pickle is probably the store’s biggest seller.
“We offer many flavors and love to see when people come through our store,” he said.
Together, the Johnsons have owned and operated Pop-N-Cream for the last eight years, and while certain obstacles — such as the COVID-19 pandemic — have created challenges for their small business, Johnson Sr. said he expects steady growth over the coming years, facilitated by the ongoing development in Fort Worth.
“There’s a lot of growth happening in Fort Worth right now,” Johnson Sr. told The Dallas Express. “We’ve seen lots of people moving to the area over the years, which has contributed tremendously.”
In fact, Fort Worth was recently named the top pro-growth city in the nation, according to reporting by The Dallas Express, which cited a 2023 study by the Pacific Research Institute.
The study showed that cities like Fort Worth, which levy less burdensome taxes, impose a less costly regulatory environment, and efficiently provide core public services, are the ones successfully attracting residents, investment, jobs, and tax revenue.
Regarding Pop-N-Cream’s growth over the past few years, Johnson Sr. said demand “picked up a lot over the pandemic” and that he and his son were “blessed to have stayed in business during that time.”
While Pop-N-Cream was able to weather the pandemic and its consequent lockdowns, Johnson Sr. said it took a lot of hard work — as most entrepreneurial endeavors do.
As a former mentor to small businesses, Johnson Sr. said he felt compelled to exit the corporate world to mentor himself. Eventually, the decision led him to start his own family business, which he said was “not just a good opportunity at the time — but a great opportunity.”
“Running a small business is not easy, and you’re often the last one to get paid,” he told The Dallas Express.
“It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time and dedication. You just kind of have to know your product, understand the environment you’re going into, and just be prepared for ups and downs,” he explained.
At some point in the future, Johnson Sr. plans to expand Pop-N-Cream into the Dallas market, but he says until that day comes, the family-owned business will continue targeting growth in and around Fort Worth.
Although Johnson Sr. did not provide a concrete timeline for Dallas-area expansion, he told The Dallas Express that the move “would probably happen over the next couple of years.”
In the meantime, the duo plans to continue providing Pop-N-Cream products to various corporate establishments around Dallas-Fort Worth, particularly during the upcoming holidays.
