The height of the pandemic may not be everyone’s ideal time to try and open a business. With restrictions limiting consumerism and Americans across the nation feeling financial strain, many would see tackling such an endeavour as a huge risk. But not Julie Logan. She faced her new adventure head on, relying on her faith to carry her through, just as it had 17 years ago.
Julie is a breast cancer survivor. Almost two decades ago, she faced a horrible, terrifying diagnosis head on and allowed her faith to help her through the hardest moments. For Julie, surviving and beating her cancer empowered her to take on the world. She performs at her local theatre in North Carolina, she became a life coach, and as of February 13th, she is officially a business owner.
The grand opening of Popcorn Heaven — Steele Creek not only exemplified Julie’s resilience and continuous drive to better her life, but it showed Julie how much her community cared for her. On the day her gourmet popcorn establishment opened, Julie was astonished by the overwhelming amount of support from friends and locals.
Despite a winter storm and 30-degree temperatures, a continuous and steady flow of customers kept Julie and her partner Martin Tisdale on their toes until closing. “I knew some of my friends and family would come and support me, but the experience was so overwhelming,” Julie said. “My system told me I had approximately 147 people that came through in one day.”
The support for Julie was so phenomenal that she was receiving orders before her store had even opened its doors! “GOD IS SO GOOD!” she wrote excitedly on her Facebook page. “…I’m not even open yet, and I received a request to do a birthday gift basket.” Julie is happily continuing to keep her supply of sweet and savory popcorn flavors flowing, and remains hopefully that support from the community will only grow.
The Steel Creek shop is the fifth Popcorn Heaven location. Julie met with the company owners, Daniel and Kysha Frazier, to discuss licensing opportunities and she knew right away that this was the perfect next step for her. “You know when you have that feeling inside that something is just right? That’s how I felt talking to Daniel and Kysha,” she explained. Although only Julie and Martin run the store at the moment, they hope to hire part-time workers soon and expand their little Popcorn Heaven family.
To learn more about Popcorn Heaven — Steele Creek, be sure to check out their Facebook page.