Del's Express Popcorn Shop

In 1934, a young entrepreneur by the name of John Baldwin opened a tiny confectionary 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 confectionary. 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 because of the delicious products that were made daily from scratch. The tempting aromas drifted through the doors and out into the streets luring customers inside. Many Decatur residents still fondly recall buying popcorn to take to the movies in the old Lincoln Theatre across the street.

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 fine service and quality products and The Popcorn Shop continued to grow. In 1946, Del and Emily Barnett were given the opportunity to purchase The Popcorn Shop and did so eagerly. They changed the name to Del?s Popcorn Shop which reflects the pride Del had in his business.

Upon their retirement in 1975, the Barnett?s sold Del?s Popcorn Shop to Terry Tomlinson, a young Decatur business man. In his employ was Bob Barnett, the brother of Del Barnett. Bob Barnett had been a loyal employee of Del?s Popcorn Shop for over forty years by then, and it was Bob who passed along the special recipes and magical techniques for making Del?s famous popcorn. Mr. Tomlinson owned Del?s Popcorn Shop for three years until he sold it to his cousin Lou Ann Jacobs in 1978. Lou Ann Jacobs owned the Decatur, IL store, located at Merchant Street, until October, 2009, when she sold the 75 year old business to Kemper Willcut II and his wife Jessica.

In 1980, Lou Ann Jacobs brought the fine reputation of Del?s Popcorn Shop to Springfield, IL. She opened Del?s Popcorn Shop at its first Springfield location at South 6th Street in historic downtown Springfield. Although Del?s Popcorn Shop was new to Springfield, it enjoyed immediate success attributable to duplication of the proven principles of fine service and quality products established at the original store. A short move to 206 South 6th Street was completed prior to the sale of the store to Lou Ann?s sister Shellie Jacobs in 1984.

Shellie Jacobs operated Del?s Popcorn Shop at that location until 1999, when she and her husband Kurt Kohlrus purchased a historic building across the street at 213 South 6th Street, next door to Abraham Lincoln?s law office, relocating the store again. The historic architecture of this building and the popcorn antiques and collectibles displayed within create an authentic old-time experience. In 2010, Del?s Popcorn Shop in Springfield celebrated its 30th anniversary of business.

Joining his sisters in the popcorn business in 2002, Mike Jacobs and his wife Trudy Jacobs opened the third Del?s.

• Cheese Popcorn


• Corporate Gifts