In only a few short months, Sara and Greg Holden have changed the snack game in Asheboro one bucket at a time. Before even stepping in the door, the smell of buttery popcorn drifts out onto the street along with customers carrying not one, but three and four buckets of popcorn at a time. With the Asheboro Popcorn Co., more is more and one bucket is just not enough.

Having moved to Asheboro from upstate New York six years ago, Greg and Sara migrated south on a whim and soon found themselves selling fresh popcorn and baked goods at the local farmers market.

When they got a call saying there was a space for rent in downtown, they jumped at the chance to be more involved in their community. With Greg’s construction know-how and Sara’s savvy business chops, they took a risk and opened the popcorn storefront just two months later.

Now they’ve brought the smell of fresh caramel corn to our city and a place for Sara to employ and see all of her former students regularly.

Sara said, “When I left teaching, I told my kids, ‘I am not leaving this community. You will see me again. And then the week we opened, here come my students who are now juniors in high school saying, ‘you didn’t go anywhere!’ And I said, ‘I told you!’”

Not only have they created a family space where everyone feels welcome and known by name, but Greg and Sara are also using their business to sponsor local sports teams and fund scholarship projects that directly pour back into our local schools.

“We’re hoping people experience joy from this place and get a taste of the grace we’ve experienced. We want to be known for happiness…I think everybody wants to feel appreciated and when you’re here, you are,” said Sara. “Our hope is that everybody feels like this is more than just popcorn.”