During NBA All-Star weekend, thousands of people got their first taste of the innovative and creative flavors at Market Street Popcorn.

When Michael Barnett teamed up with his childhood friend to create Market Street Popcorn, the mission was simple: create fresh popcorn with bold new flavors. Luckily, that task wasn’t too difficult for Barnett’s friend Jonathan Warren, a microbiologist and food scientist.  

Warren started experimenting with new popcorn flavors when he noticed how much popcorn his four sons would eat. And when he worked with Barnett to open Market Street Popcorn as a pop-up shop inside the Garage Food Hall at Bottleworks, hungry customers started devouring their product. “The response has been great,” says Barnett. 

When the city of Indianapolis approached Barnett and Warren about bringing their gourmet popcorn flavors to All-Star weekend, the duo set out to distribute over 2,500 free samples to fans and tourists downtown. “It was an awesome experience,” says Warren. 

Since the All-Star game, Market Street popcorn has seen an increase in online sales and has even taken on larger orders from local companies. Barnett attributes the success to Indy’s amazing ability to host large sporting events that draw tens of thousands to the city.  

Barnett says sales are up this year by 70%, and thanks to their new shop opening inside the Garage Food Hall and a recent $10,000 branding grant from the Indiana Pacers, many more hungry basketball fans will get a chance to try unique flavors like blueberry white chocolate and dill pickle at Market Street Popcorn.