Pop N Off, Inc. 59 Cuna St.; St. Augustine, FL
Have you ever been to a shop, boutique or café, far away from your hometown (and I mean far, far away-like as about as far away within the contiguous 48 as you can get from home) and not been able to get it out of your heart. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that Pop N Off, Inc., in historic St. Augustine, Florida, has an online shop!
We strolled past the little shop, off the very beaten path of St. George Street, on Cuna Street, early in our day in the historic district. It was our plan to come back to Pop N Off after taking a survey of the rest of the district. We just about skipped it later in the day, when it suddenly seemed hard to find. (We’re so glad we persisted in our search.) Renae had been to St. Augustine’s once, two years before. Scotte had never been. Cuna Street is right in the heart of historic St. Augustine’s. It’s one of the main ways to walk from the public parking garage right to sights like the Oldest School House and the Spanish Military Hospital. Get a map at the Visitors Center or official website. The Historic District is pedestrian friendly. You can drive through much of the area but walking it is the best way to see it all.
Kaarin's henna tattoo
The shopping in St. Augustine is fun and varied. On Renae’s trip in 2009 our daughter, Kaarin, got a henna tattoo in one shop. There are chotchkis and Pirate themed souvenirs galore. We enjoyed touring the Oldest School House, the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.
Basilica of St. Augustine
Downtown St. Augustine, 2009
After a long day walking through the historic district we found our way back to Pop N Off. It’s a friendly little shop in a Victorian cottage. The Mau family runs the delightful popcorn shop. From talking with Jim and his daughter, Bella, it’s clear that they’re passionate about their delicious product, made by their own hands, from their own recipes. At the present time they have 59 sweet and savory flavors, 20 of which they offer in the store at any one time. By rotating the flavors they keep the offerings fresh. On the savory side you’ll find the expected flavors like Garlic & Parmesan and Bacon Cheese, along with new and unexpected flavors like Dill Pickle, Coconut Curry and Beer Cheese. On the sweet side of their menu we tried Cinnamon Bun, Birthday Cake and Chocolate Covered Cherry. There are also unusual sweet flavor combinations like Bourbon Pecan Pie, Elvis (PB & Banana), Peach Cobbler, and Coconut Cake. Every kernel is well coated with flavor. Try several before you buy. You can mix the flavors in the bags. Everyone in the family can walk away with their own custom flavor combinations.
Jim and his daughter serve up tasty popcorn
I recently placed an order on the Pop N Off website. We’ll be getting a shipment soon with several flavors we loved plus a few that intrigued us as we looked over their list. The popcorn itself is reasonably priced at $4.75 for Savory flavors and $6.75 for Sweet. It’s a very good sized bag. They also offer tins of popcorn on their website and in the shop. The shipping is a little pricey. You must order a minimum of 3 bags. Shipping cost didn’t seem to change whether for 3 or 5 bags. After 5 bags it went up. Teresa emailed me back as soon as she’d processed my online order. Shipping will take awhile (after all we’re about as far from St. Augustine as we can get, right?) But Teresa’s email assured me that the popcorn is well sealed and should arrive fresh tasting. I’ll let you know how it is as soon as it arrives.
Mix it up!
We ate a lot of tasty food in Florida but nothing quite captured our hearts like the little popcorn shop on Cuna Street in St. Augustine.
How about you? What little shop have you discovered in your travels that you can’t get out of your mind? Have you eaten at a little hole-in-the wall diner that you go out of your way to stop at, whenever you’re anywhere near? Does your family have a favorite souvenir stop or roadside attraction? Share, please!
What are your favorite shops, stops and eating spots in Leavenworth, Washington? In an upcoming blog post I’ll let you know what our personal favorites are. We’d love to hear about yours.
