about
THE ORIGINAL DEL'S POPCORN SHOP
In 1934, a young entrepreneur by the name of John Baldwin opened a tiny confectionery on Merchant Street in downtown Decatur, Illinois. Mr. Baldwin was a type-printer by trade and ran his printing business in the basement of the same building occupied by his confectionery. He called his store “The Popcorn Shop,” for his main product was popcorn: a simple delicacy for a city recovering from the Great Depression.
The Popcorn Shop was successful from the very day it opened due to its delicious products that were made daily from scratch. The tempting aromas drifted through the doors and out into the streets, luring customers inside the shop.
Many Decatur residents still fondly recall buying popcorn from Del’s to take to the movies in the old Lincoln Theatre right across the street. Today, when visiting home and looking for that hometown connection, Del’s Popcorn Shop is on their list of places they must stop.
How it became Dels and its owners:
In 1945, Mr. Baldwin leased his thriving business to Del Barnett and his wife, Emily. Del and Emily carried on Mr. Baldwin’s tradition of superb service and quality products, and The Popcorn Shop continued to grow.
In 1946, Del and Emily eagerly purchased The Popcorn Shop. They changed the name to Del’s Popcorn Shop, which reflects the pride Del had in his business.
Upon their retirement in 1975, the Barnetts sold Del’s Popcorn Shop to Terry Tomlinson, a young Decatur businessman, who continued to employ Del’s brother, Bob Barnett.
Bob had been a loyal employee of Del’s Popcorn Shop for over forty years by then, and it was he who passed along the proprietary recipes and old-fashioned techniques used for making Del’s famous popcorn.
After only three years, Mr. Tomlinson sold Del’s Popcorn Shop to his cousin, Lou Ann Jacobs. Lou Ann owned the Decatur store through its 75th anniversary.
After 31 years in business, Lou Ann retired and sold The Original Del’s Popcorn Shop to Kemper Wilcutt II. By this point, The Original Del’s Popcorn Shop had become an icon in Illinois, and a staple in Illinoisians’ childhoods.
In 2010 Kemper added the ‘Candy Side’ in the neighboring building to the south with an access door from the popcorn side to supply the increasing demand for nostalgic candy. Kemper continued to grow the store and added hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries to the menu for Valentine's Day & Mother's Day as well as concentrating on providing corporate gifting throughout the entire year.
At the beginning of 2019 the store changed hands again and was taken over by Maggie Howley, a longtime friend and coworker of Kemper's since 1998. Maggie entered the popcorn business in 2009, and trained alongside Kemper, under Lou Ann Jacobs.
Maggie Howley has owned/operated The Original Del's Popcorn Shop since 2019, through its 90th Anniversary, and continues the tradition of flame popped popcorn, small batches and making sure that everyone who comes in feels like they are taking a step back in time.
Today, the historic architecture, the old-fashioned copper kettles, antiques, and collectibles displayed within, create an authentic old-time experience.
OUR VISION
Our vision at The Original Del's popcorn shop is to bring joy to our community with handcrafted, small-batch popcorn made from the finest ingredients, creating unique flavors that spark nostalgia and new traditions. We strive to be a local favorite- a place where families gather, friends share moments, and every bite tells the story of quality, care, and hometown pride.