20220630-HOWARDMAGAZINE - Flipbook - Page 15
A view of
the E.C. Pops
popcorn and
soda walls, the
fudge table,
and the dollar
bill ceiling.
The dollar bills
were donated
by customers
and will go to
charities.
was not able to work in the stores, because he
would’ve reported to me,” explained Yeakey,
54, who is originally from the Midwest.
The two thought popcorn would be perfect
for people to enjoy as they were walking
around Old Ellicott City, so E.C. Pops opened,
with its own kitchen on-site at the first store
on Main Street in April 2017. The business became so successful Yeakey was able to retire
from Walmart and the two began expanding
to other ventures, including a store selling
Maryland-themed souvenirs.
However, a little over a year later, when the
flood of June 2018 destroyed businesses in
Ellicott City again, the couple lost everything.
Without their kitchen, the two opened a
location in Fells Point with everything but
popcorn. But their original location was not
lost for good.
The post-traumatic stress of the flood led
the owners to move to their current site in
November 2019 — just a few hundred feet
from the Main Street location, on Old Columbia Pike. Months later, coronavirus caused
the couple to shut their doors in March 2020.
When COVID-19 restrictions were lifted,
customers filled the store.
“I guess because people had been held up
at home so long, they were chomping to get
their popcorn,” Yeakey said.
With a popping eclectic playlist, customers
walk into E.C. Pops singing along to the music
and dancing from one section to the next
checking out items, sampling popcorn and
taking in the rainbow colored umbrellas and
dollar bills adorning the ceiling.
“It’s like a mix of everything that you
could ever want, in one,” said Bowen, 17, who
bought fudge and Maryland swag for herself
and soon-to-be college roommate.
Carissa Bloom, a regular at E.C. Pops,
decided to bring a couple friends for their
first visit.
“It’s a place I can take my friends and
know they’re going to have fun immediately,”
Bloom, 30, said.
“I’ve always loved Old Ellicott City. I’m
from Howard County, but this is like everything you love about Maryland all in one
place,” said Bloom’s friend, Jendayi Miller, 27.
“If I need to give someone a gift, this is the
first place I would think of.”
E.C. Pops
3709 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City,
410-988-5179, ecpops.com
723 S. Broadway, Baltimore, 410-750-7677.
Winner Best Italian Restaurant
Winner Best Take Out
Honorable Mention Best Cocktails
Honorable Mention Best Pizza
Honorable Mention Best Wine List
Honorable Mention for Best Server:
Nina Martucci
Thank you Howard County! Our family is humbled by your
continued support, eight years running! Tino’s Italian Bistro
is a local, family-owned & operated business.
8775 Centre Park Drive, Columbia, MD 21045 • 410-730-8466
Come Try
Our New
Sister
Restaurant
8808 Centre Park Drive,
Columbia, MD 21045
410-753-0299
www.periodictablecolumbia.com
www.tinositalianbistro.com • Online Ordering: toasttab.com/tinos-italian-bistro
howardmagazine.com | SUMMER 2022 | 15