‘First ever’ dedicated gourmet popcorn shop POP to open in Glasgow
A new dedicated popcorn shop will open in Glasgow’s west end.
A local west end woman has turned her family’s love of popcorn into POP, a new independent family-run food concept serving freshly popped, hand-finished gourmet popcorn.
Maya Brown and her family will open POP on Glasgow’s Great Western Road on Friday, September 11.
The new independent, family-run food concept will specialise in gourmet popcorn popped fresh daily in small batches using specialist machinery imported from America, before being flavoured, coated, hand-drizzled and finished in store.
From rich caramel corn and hand-drizzled chocolate creations to mature cheddar, truffle and protein popcorn, POP will take one of the world’s best-loved snacks and give it a fresh, gourmet treatment, with a changing menu spanning sweet, savoury and more unexpected flavour combinations.
At the heart of the new opening is a family story as the idea for POP grew from Maya’s life at home in Glasgow’s West End with her two daughters, where experimenting with different popcorn flavours became something they loved doing together.
What began as a family obsession around the kitchen table gradually developed into an idea for a business, with Maya spotting a gap in Glasgow for a dedicated gourmet popcorn concept.
Taking inspiration from the growing gourmet popcorn scene elsewhere in the UK, including London’s family-run Joe & Seph’s, as well as the specialist popcorn culture of America, Maya set out to create something of her own for the neighbourhood where she lives and is raising her family.
Her two daughters have remained part of the journey as POP has developed, making the new Great Western Road opening a genuinely family-led independent business.
For Maya, making the popcorn properly was important from the outset.
Specialist popcorn-making machinery has been imported from America to allow the POP team to make fresh batches on site throughout the day, with the popcorn then flavoured, coated, drizzled and finished in store.
Alongside its signature popcorn, POP will serve Italian-style soft serve, speciality matcha and coffee, creating a new neighbourhood stop for everything from an after-school treat or afternoon drink to a freshly popped box to take home.
A keen home baker, Maya also plans to introduce some of her own recipes to the counter as POP develops, including homemade scones and other baked treats, while gifting and beautifully packaged popcorn collections are already part of the family’s longer-term plans for the business.
The same attention to detail has been carried through to the Great Western Road store itself.
Behind its pastel frontage, hand-painted cabinetry, bespoke detailing and luxury finishes combine the nostalgia of a traditional confectioner with a fresh, contemporary feel, creating a colourful and whimsical new addition to Glasgow’s west end.
Maya Brown, founder of POP, said: “POP really started at home with me and my girls. We absolutely love popcorn and were always experimenting with different flavours and making our own creations together. It became a bit of a family obsession and, over time, I started thinking there was a real opportunity to do something with it.
“I’d seen how gourmet popcorn had developed elsewhere, particularly in London and America, but there really wasn’t anything like it in Glasgow. I wanted to take something everyone knows and loves and make it feel really special, using great ingredients, making it fresh every day and having fun with flavours people might not normally associate with popcorn.
“It was important to me that we did it properly, so we’ve brought specialist machinery over from America and we’ll be popping fresh batches throughout the day, then flavouring, drizzling and finishing everything here in the shop.
“I’m a West End mum, my girls are growing up here and this is the neighbourhood we know and love, so Great Western Road always felt like the right home for POP.
“It’s very much a family business and the girls have been part of it from the beginning. I want POP to become somewhere people locally really love coming into, whether that’s with the kids after school, for a matcha or coffee with a friend, or to pick up a beautiful box of popcorn to take home.
“We’ve got so many ideas for where we can take POP, from new flavours and my own baking to gifting and collaborations. This is really just the beginning.”
POP’s menu will continue to evolve after opening, with seasonal flavours, limited-edition creations and new combinations planned alongside its core range.
Future plans will also see Maya and her family develop POP’s gifting offer, taking its colourful popcorn boxes and hand-finished creations beyond the Great Western Road store for celebrations, corporate gifting and special occasions.
POP opens on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 4pm, at 713 Great Western Road, Glasgow. Normal opening hours are: Sunday to Thursday 10-8pm and Friday to Saturday 10-10pm