Doc Popcorn a Second Career for Owner

Macy’s smells an awful lot like popcorn these days, and so do other stores at that end of the Brunswick Square Mall.

That’s because the mall’s newest vendor, Doc Popcorn, has been selling its treats by the bagful since it opened on Black Friday.

“It was a little nuts,” said owner Geoff Frischman. “There was a lot going on that day since it was my first day.”

Frischman, who is in his mid-50s, opened this first Doc Popcorn shop in the fall, on the boardwalk at Asbury Park, following a long, successful career selling office furniture. The move ended 25 years of commuting to New York City every day and, in effect, put his future in his own hands.

“It’s a risk you take, but then you get tired of doing what you are doing, and you go for a change,” he said. “This was an opportunity where there was not a great upfront capital expense, and Doc Popcorn offered me a choice of a single franchise, three franchises, or the empire, which I did.”

The Empire allows Frischman to open 10 franchises, and working alongside his sons, Michael and Greg, he hopes to have three to five of them open in the next five years.

Doc Popcorn offers nine types of flavored popcorn, Sweet Butter, Klassic Kettle, Cheesy Cheddar, Better Butter, Triple White Cheddar Salt-n-Pepper, Caramel Kettle, Hoppin’ Jalapeno and Sinfully Cinnamon. Bags run from $3.50 for a small to $4 for a large. Gift tins also are available, with a large costing $40, and a Tiny Tin costing $15.

Frischman is quick to point out that his product also is healthy, offering gluten free, tree nut free and sugar free products as well.

But no matter what product he’s selling, one thing is for sure. So far, Doc Popcorn has been a big hit. Frischman goes though about 300 bags of corn on a good weekend day, and a steady stream of customers buying or sampling the product is almost a given.

“I was looking for simple, and this is as simple as it gets,” he said.