The Batavia Popcorn Depot is the longest running business in Batavia. Founded in 1929 by two 12-year-old friends, Buddy Anderson and Normie Freedlund, who built the small shop with the help of their fathers. Over the years this original structure has been in numerous locations but has always been known for its delicious popcorn.
Initially set up in a grocery store parking lot at the northeast corner of Route 31 & Main Street, Buddy and Normie opened their shop each spring. They transported it back and forth from a garage using a hand cart borrowed from Challenge Windmill Co., where their fathers worked. The boys even made a sign that read “Buddy & Normy’s French Fried Popcorn” and sold bags of popcorn and peanuts for just five cents each.
After five years, the Great Depression led to job shortages and Normie took a job at the newspaper. Buddy decided to sell the stand to Paul Hendrickson. In 1934, the stand was renamed Paul’s Popcorn Stand and moved north on the “The Avenue” to the other side of the street. Eventually, it relocated again to the northeast corner of Water and Wilson Streets near a laundromat and became known as Jo-Dee’s Popcorn in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the stand changed hands again, becoming Nancy’s Popcorn.
In 1979, Lori Fitzgerald took over ownership, and this photo of Lori’s Popcorn dates from 1982. Later, the stand moved to the west side of Water Street, south of Houston, behind the Methodist Church where it was renamed Batavia Popcorn Depot under new owner John Misitano. John ran it until Bob Pepper of Geneva purchased the shop around 1998.
Current owners Talitha and Dave Mueller moved to the suburbs from Chicago in 2001 and became regular customers of the Popcorn Depot after settling in Batavia in 2005. Talitha and her young family sought out friendly faces and community and found it at the Depot. Talitha and her two young children visited nearly every day during the summer months. Over the years, Talitha formed a friendship with Bob, and his sons, Alex and Jack, bonding over shared interests like dogs, the White Sox, hockey and family. Talitha often dreamed of owning the shop someday and would casually mention it to Jack over the years.
In 2011, the Popcorn Depot moved across Water Street to its current location, and in 2020, the stars aligned. Jack moved to Colorado and Bob, no longer able to physically run the business, decided to sell. After 15 years of loyal patronage, Talitha and Dave purchased the Popcorn Depot in the early 2020, just before COVID-19 shutdown. Despite the challenges, they managed to open in May of 2020 as a carry-out service and have enjoyed a steady stream of loyal customers ever since.
The shop offers three main popcorn flavors: white, caramel, and cheese. The white popcorn recipe, a secret blend of two oils and salt (no butter), has remained unchanged since 1929. The “BOB” is a popular mixture of white and caramel popcorn, named after Bob Pepper.
Talitha and Dave strive to offer a welcoming, safe environment for all customers and a positive, inclusive workplace for their team. Through the Popcorn Depot, they have built a close-knit “family of friends.” They work hard to maintain the shop as a local destination that spreads joy with every delicious bag of popcorn!
