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| Carly and Mandy promoting their products |
Mandy Selke and Carly Swift, the owners of Just Pop in! Gourmet Popcorn, are enigmatic. They are stunning, bubbly, and their positive energy and smiles are highly infectious!
I love a good snack as much as the next person, but I have been astounded at the growth of Just Pop In! over the years. It is everywhere! When I had the chance to meet the dynamic duo at an event in our Broad Ripple neighborhood, I just had to learn more about them and their well-carved popcorn niche. Upon meeting them, I knew they were special... they just have it. I finally got to sit down with them and chat it up for awhile.
Here are a few things you should know about Mandy and Carly:
1. Yes, they are twins. Identical. Identically gorgeous.
2. They are both IU graduates. Mandy's degree is in Biology and Carly's is in Speech Communications and African American Studies.
3. While they tag-team most things about Just Pop In!, Mandy is the main recipe creator. Carly quickly points out that they both happily taste all the new popcorn and seasoning creations. While Carly does more of the accounting work, they split daily management, client accounts, and marketing duties pretty evenly.
4. They both left high-paying jobs with the same business service provider to take the plunge and start Just Pop In! almost 9 years ago (their business turns 9 in November).
5. They are totally committed to Indianapolis, Broad Ripple, and supporting local businesses.
6. Their Just Pop In! team is now 20 people strong, several of whom have been with the business since its inception.
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| Nylon/Dior collaboration featuring Just Pop In! |
When I asked them about what has surprised them through the years, Carly says that the community has just been so welcoming and word of mouth has helped them gain traction. Mandy excitedly talks about all of the unforeseen opportunities they have had. Some of the highlights include a long-standing relationship with Vera Bradley, IndyCar racing, and recently getting involved in a partnership between Nylon Magazine and Christian Dior's scent Miss Cherie Dior. "We really consider this a hospitality business," Mandy notes, when describing how they love to get creative and help businesses market themselves with their products.
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| Broad Ripple flagship store on Guilford Avenue |
This mentality permeates their whole business. The culture that Mandy and Carly create is central to their business. They just ooze positivity, and work to create a non-complaint atmosphere where their staff can come in every day, work hard, and enjoy themselves. "We want our work environment to be positive, and our staff to always feel like they can express themselves freely without judgement," Carly says. Mandy added that working at Just Pop In! is really labor intensive. Every team member is trained in everything from customer service to cooking to packaging, and expected to pull their weight each day. "I used to make interviews really light, but now I ask things like 'Can you lift 50 pounds?' and 'Do you understand that you will be on your feet for 8 straight hours?'," she laughs, "It is really hard work!"
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| Broad Ripple Block Party by Cornell Ave store |
Mandy and Carly understand branding. They
are their brand from head to toe every time I see them. They are completely committed to their happy, smiley, colorful products that inspire a playful spirit of fun and kindness. They care about the community and making a difference, from the environmental packaging efforts within Just Pop In! to supporting the new public lab school where their children learn and grow daily in an economically diverse environment. From the look of things, Mandy and Carly are growing Just Pop In! at an incredible clip with no intention of letting up soon. In fact, their airport location just had it's biggest sales week to date, and there were no conventions or races in town to spike business. After talking about the risks that young entrepreneurs take, Mandy said "It was a little crazy, but we just wanted this so badly." Well, I think Indianapolis can be proud to call Mandy Selke, Carly Swift, and Just Pop In! our own. Cheers to popcorn!
*Stay tuned for a post featuring popcorn/bubbly tasting and/or a popcorn/beer tasting! I recently tried a lot of their new flavors and they will get a write-up all of their own. Yum!
