A Minnesota-based nonprofit selling popcorn and providing meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities is preparing to open its own storefront.

Highland Popcorn, which had initially planned to open on the University of St. Thomas’s St. Paul campus, is now setting up its own shop at the Highland Village Center in St. Paul.

Founder Shamus O’Meara, himself a father of a son with autism, said his organization “highlights locally supported employees with developmental disabilities in an integrated workforce, training and learning about the retail popcorn business and skillfully producing and selling high quality popcorn products in a comfortable community setting.”

The nonprofit planned on making its first debut at the University of St. Thomas, when the university offered space on its St. Paul location rent free back in 2019. The store was set to open in the summer of 2022, but in March, the university pulled the plug on the deal, KSTP reported.

Despite the setback, Highland Popcorn will finally make its new storefront a reality February 2024 in Highland Village Center on Ford Parkway. The space is located in a well-trafficked St. Paul neighborhood, and is being subleased through Lunds & Byerlys, which has been a long-time supporter of the organization, O’Meara said.

“We are grateful to Lunds & Byerlys for partnering with us by providing an affordable space while we start this new venture,” he said.

Construction is already underway to transform the space into a friendly and welcoming retail experience. Updates will include a sensory area, new flooring, fresh paint, and mechanical upgrades.

O’Meara hopes to expand the business beyond its first storefront in the future, once they have established a market presence and local reputation for their products. Eventually, the company plans to expand sales to their website.

The company will also be focusing on building partnerships with more organizations in the community to “promote broader community involvement and support for our workforce,” said O’Meara in an email to TCB. “We believe Highland Popcorn can become the catalyst for dynamic integrated community businesses with similar visions.”