Popcorn shop to open in Seven Corners

Robin Rinearson, the owner of Jake’s Ice Cream in Barcroft Plaza, is opening Jack’s Gourmet Popcorn in the Seven Corners Shopping Center.

It will be located between Michaels and The Vacuum Center. Rinearson hopes to open the shop by the end of March.

The popcorn will be made on-site. In addition to regular popcorn, there will be a variety of flavors, including caramel corn, kettle corn, oreo flavor, buffalo ranch, birthday cake, lemon or strawberry shortcake, tutti frutti, chocolate drizzled, and more.

Rinearson, a retired optometrist, opened Jake’s Ice Cream in August 2021.

Like Jake’s Ice Cream, most employees at Jake’s Gourmet Popcorn will have disabilities.

Both shops are named for Rinearson’s nephew, Jake, who has cerebral palsy and works at the ice cream shop along with some of her former patients.

Staff member Adam Toobin got an award from ServiceSource for stellar work performance, Rinearson notes. He handles social media for the shop using a voice-activated computer at home. 

ServiceSource, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities, is no longer providing a group coach for the staff that makes the confections at the back of Jake’s Ice Cream. As a result, Rinearson has had to let two employees go but plans to hire them for the popcorn shop.

The assistant manager, Andrea Terceros, who has completed culinary school, has stepped up to take on the group coaching role. “The quality of the items they are turning out is much better now,” Rinearson says.

The shop has an internal mentoring program. Employees with milder disabilities are paired with a staff member who needs extra help.

Related story: Jake’s Ice Cream is going to be a very special place

Jake’s is continuing its partnership with the Arlington Career Center’s Program for Employment Preparedness, which is providing student interns that will convert to paid positions at the end of the school year. 

In another partnership, students at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County created an app to make it easier for staff working the register to make change. “It’s awesome,” Rinearson says. “My goal this year is to get everyone capable of working at the register.” 

NOTE: A previous version of this story said the popcorn store will replace The Vacuum Center. The Vacuum Center is not closing.