Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer

Cleveland's legendary Humphrey Popcorn, a Euclid Beach icon, to open shop (vintage photos)

Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland’s legendary Humphrey Popcorn company is popping.

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The company launched by Dudley Humphrey back in the 1890s will soon open its first retail location in Cleveland in decades.

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Humphrey Popcorn Company

On January 26, the Humphrey Popcorn Company will celebrate its grand opening at 819 East 185th Street – not far from the iconic Euclid Beach Park that made Humphrey a household name in Cleveland.

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The shop temporarily opened for a few weeks in December for holiday shopping, but when it reopens will have much more stock.

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Humphrey Popcorn Company

The shop will be featuring Humphrey’s famous popcorn balls, popcorn and cheese corn, popcorn kernels and candy kisses, as well as other retro candies and Euclid Beach Park accessories. They will also be featuring another local classic, Bakers Candies, best known for their chocolate whips. The current owners of Humphrey Popcorn, Joanne Lynch and Mike Prokop, who bought the company in 2011, also purchased the rights and recipes to Bakers Candies.

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“We began to think we needed a location to have people come in and by the whips, and popcorn, before the holidays,” says Lynch.

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“This location happened to be available. My brother (Prokop) really liked the look of the store. And being so close to Euclid Beach Park was nice.”

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The location next to restored 1927 La Salle Theatre is fitting for the company so tied to Cleveland history.

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The company began in the early 1880s, when founder Dudley Humphrey, right, developed a new type of popcorn popper. He soon had a series of carts around town, including at Public Square, where he sold his popular treat.

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When Euclid Beach Park opened in 1895, Humphrey, pictured below, set up a cart at the new amusement destination. The lakeside venue had a concert hall, beer garden, gambling, bathhouse, vaudeville acts and a few rides, including the Switchback Railway roller coaster.

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The famous playland almost didn’t make it, though – until Humphrey stepped in. By 1900, Euclid Beach was considered a failure, losing $20,000 a year.

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The Humphrey family decided to take a chance. They took over management in 1901 with a five-year lease for $12,000 per year.

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Visitors – who mostly came by streetcar – were lured by the new beachfront, rides and the ornate dance pavilion.

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In 1907, the Humphrey family added to their empire with the opening of the Elysium Ice Rink in University Circle, the largest indoor ice rink in the world at the time.

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The rink closed before World War II, but Euclid Beach Park lived on for many more years. Founder Dudley Humphrey died in 1933; his family continued to run the park.

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In 1910, Humphrey had installed what would become the park’s most beloved landmark, the carousel. Designed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the 58 prancing wooden horses and two chariots became the park’s biggest draw.

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The classic Flying Turns took off in 1930.

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But Euclid Beach was about far more than rides. The beach was always a huge draw, especially when an elegant new bathhouse opened in 1925.

Companies and political parties and armed forces regiments held annual outings in the park, too. During World War II, Euclid Beach thrived with Clevelanders in search of an afternoon respite.

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In the ‘60s, however, it fell prey to the massive loss of population and jobs that hit Cleveland. In 1963, daily bus service from Public Square was cut. By 1965, the park was forced to demolish some rides and sell the Great American Racing Derby to Cedar Point to raise funds.

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Declining attendance, lake pollution and racial tensions led to the Humphrey family to shut Euclid Beach Park in 1969. But that wasn’t the end of Humphrey Popcorn. The family continued on making and selling their popular treats, available at groceries and other shops around town.

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Humphrey Popcorn Company

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In 2011, Mike Prokop and a friend were going to buy popcorn balls for a class reunion. He had always wanted to own a small business and when he found out it was for sale, well, he bought more than popcorn balls.

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His sister Joanne Lynch joined him as a partner.

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“We both grew up going to Euclid Beach and with the popcorn balls,” she says. “And the candy, too. We grew up with the Baker whips.”

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Lynch says they’re hoping nostalgic for Euclid Beach will help drive people to their new store, just as it drove them to open it.

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"There's not a lot of foot traffic in the area at the moment, but it's growing,"

she says. "And we're really hoping it will become a destination for people. There's a lot of nostalgia for Euclid Beach and Bakers in Cleveland, especially in this part of town." (Pictured: Dudley Humphrey and his daughter.)

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The Humphrey Popcorn Company is at 819 East 185th Street. Call (216) 662-6629. Following its grand opening January 26, regular hours will be 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.

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Pictured: The Humphrey family, c. 1910s.

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