Sean Bammer has owned Metropolis Popcorn for more than a month now. The shop, located on East Main Street, specializes in popcorn such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and s’more flavors.

Credit: Andrew popik

New to the menu: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and banana-cream pie.

Senior marketing major Sean Bammer isn’t selling candy and pies but is advertising them as flavors of popcorn at his recently acquired Metropolis popcorn.

Bammer said he wished that he could have bought the shop after he graduates, hopefully in May, but the chance to take over the shop was one he couldn’t pass up. He said he was going to copy the idea after graduation, but found out that the previous owner wanted to sell.

“I thought it was a good idea because the shop and the product were something new,” Bammer said.

Bammer, who took over the shop about a month ago, said he works at the shop about 60 hours a week while attending Kent full-time.

“In the beginning it was hard because I was losing a lot of sleep at nights,” Bammer said. “Now I’m starting to fall into a routine instead of running around like a chicken with his head cut off.”

Bammer said he couldn’t have gotten the shop up and running without the help of his close friends Jaclyn Hennessy and Brian Miller.

Hennessy, a senior management major who helps out when Bammer is at class, said she has been friends with Bammer since last August.

“I’m so proud of him and very impressed because I’m a fellow business major,” Hennessy said.

The one-room shop located downtown on Main Street offers more than 50 different flavors of popcorn, which Bammer said is popped in a healthy pure coconut oil. The assortment of flavors include s’mores, Rice Krispy Treat, orange creamsicle and loaded baked potato.

“It’s got such a variety, anybody can find what they’re looking for,” said senior finance major Chet Marcin.

Since acquiring the shop, Bammer said he has added the specialty flavors cherry pistachio delight, soft batch cookie and rainbow M&M deluxe, and plans to add a new flavor every week.

“Adding the specialty flavors will make it cool to see what the new flavor will be,” Marcin said.

Bammer said he will add Count Chocula to the menu as his next flavor.

Aside from adding new flavors weekly, Bammer has other ideas for his newly owned shop.

Bammer said he wants to eventually franchise the shop in the South, in places such as movie theaters, amusement parks, stores and golf courses.

But while the shop is still in Kent, Bammer said if students bring in their student identification, they can get a small bag of popcorn free with any purchase.

“Save a cow. Eat some popcorn,” Bammer said.

Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Eddie Dilworth, at [email protected]