Mike and Rachel Turner and their four children in front of their new storefront for FLX Popcorn. Photo by Kelly Kester Photography
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
We have an exciting story about what’s going to be popping soon in Mendon, pun intended. In the hamlet, on Rush Mendon Road between the 4-corners and the Assembly Drive entrance to Mendon Meadows Marketplace Plaza, we have two new businesses springing into action this spring. And as inhabitants of the hamlet, our job as journalists found us as recipients of a ringing endorsement for one new business from the other.
Let’s identify the players in these new commercial ventures and then we’ll flesh out the stories. One morning in Mendon, while we were working at arranging our outdoor furniture for the much-anticipated summer season hovering on the horizon, we struck up a conversation with a couple walking by with their dogs. Turns out they are Fred and Melissa, proprietors of the Rt. 64 Boutique which is opening up on the southwest corner of Mendon. This would be the building that has previously pleased palates as a Chinese restaurant and caused controversy as a smoke shop.
Upon making their acquaintance, we identify ourselves as the Sentinel Smiths who routinely write the news stories that introduce and welcome new businesses to the community. We inform them that we’d like to write their story just like we’re currently in the process of doing for FLX Popcorn which brings us to player #2 in the lineup of new businesses in the hamlet. Just to explain the company name… “FLX” is an acronym gaining traction as a condensed way to say “Finger Lakes.”
Fred and Melissa immediately gush with unsolicited popcorn praise. “Oh my God,” Fred says, “their popcorn is so incredible.”
“You have to try the cocoa caramel,” adds Melissa, “it is to die for!” So we’ll allow that enthusiastic endorsement to serve as an introduction for this story on FLX Popcorn which is located on the north side of Rush Mendon Road, in between Ye Mendon Tavern and the Assembly Drive entrance to the Marketplace. It’s directly across the street from the parking lot of the baseball fields.
Mike and Rachael Turner are the entrepreneurs behind FLX Popcorn and they share an interesting story regarding how their business came into existence. Back in 2020 Mike was operating a prior business which focused on rentals for weddings. But then Covid came calling, with one manifestation being that there were not going to be a lot of wedding bells ringing for the next year or so.
At that point the idea popped to tap a talent which Rachael had cultivated over the years which actually emanated from her high school days. “She had worked at a popcorn stand in high school,” Mike told us, “and it was one of those places that is locally famous and has lines down the road on the weekend.” Since then she has used her baking skills to make homemade caramel corn for gifts, frequently receiving the feedback, “You need to sell this!”
With the wedding biz in shutdown mode, the time seemed right to heed that aforementioned command. So they started the business from their kitchen during the pandemic with Rachael’s tried and true recipes, as well as developing many more over the next year. What sets FLX apart is that every product is their own recipe, from high quality ingredients, while most other popcorn shops use the same “mixes.”
“We are so grateful to be in a supportive community; nearly every brewery, winery and store we stopped at with our product agreed to carry it,” Mike shared. “So largely our business up until now has been wholesale, farmers markets, pop-up markets and online sales. We have even done popcorn fundraisers for some local school clubs and sports teams!”
“Within a year of starting, it was clear that we had outgrown our ‘home kitchen’ and we built our commercial kitchen at 3862 Rush-Mendon Rd. In the last year we have built out a storefront and are planning to ‘soft open’ in a few weeks. In the interim we have a 24-hour vending machine with the popcorn, drinks and other local goodies (like Cheesie Eddies!)”
Some fan favorite flavors are their home-made salted caramel, dill pickle popcorn, white cheddar popcorn, Reese’s Pieces caramel corn, and salt & vinegar popcorn.
The store is going to have our standard products but will also sell fresh buttered popcorn, from local kernels grown right here in the Finger Lakes. They are light and nearly hull-less. They will also carry Seneca Farms ice cream. So, combining these two commodities, they’ve created some very cool specialty items like seasonal “popcorn sundaes” which are two scoops of ice cream, their caramel corn, and premium chocolate drizzle. Additionally they will have “custom FliX Mix” which offers the choice of popcorn + your choice of drizzle + your choice of two toppings. Kind of makes your taste buds race, doesn’t it?
“The beauty of our offerings,” Mike says, “are that they can be as healthy or as decadent as you would like. We also are a good option for vegan and gluten free offerings. Most of our popcorn is vegan (including the buttered), and we are planning to also carry a vegan ice cream option. We also do not use gluten in any of our products to keep them accessible to those who are gluten sensitive.”
“On a personal note, Rachael and I live locally here in Mendon with our 4 children,” says Mike, who is a graduate of HF-L, adding that the couple loves this community.
