Austin Gourmet Popcorn, a family-run business specializing in flavored popcorn and gifts, will open Oct. 30 in the shopping center Anderson Arbor in Northwest Austin.

The store will sell more than 60 sweet and savory flavors of popcorn, such as sea salt, Mexican vanilla, cheesecake, salt and vinegar, Ranch, spicy buffalo and bacon cheddar, said Alison Hern, who runs the business with her husband, Scott, and their son Randy. Popcorn will be sold in a variety of sizes of bags as well as in tins.

Austin Gourmet Popcorn—located at 13343 N. US 183, Ste. 250 by DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks—will offer customers the option to mix any flavors and create gift baskets.

Customers can also choose from rows of colored and flavored chocolates and jellybeans to add to gift baskets. Other treats include nostalgic candy, Dublin soft drinks and gift items.

“We felt like there was a niche in this part of town,” she said.

The business has license agreements with many area schools, including Anderson, McNeil and Westwood high schools, to allow customers to customize popcorn tins and baskets to support school or sports teams.

Alison said the business plans to get involved in community events and has already supported McNeil High School.

The popcorn shop will also sell flavored kettle corn with options such as barbecue and iced tea, Alison said.

“Nobody was really doing anything with kettle corn,” she said. “They sold kettle corn but I’ve never seen barbecue popcorn we like.”

All the flavors are made in-house, and Austin Gourmet Popcorn will have weekly specials to allow the Herns to try out new flavors. The Herns also plan to sell homemade toffee and barks in the future as well as open new locations of the business.

For more information call 512-351-9059 or visit www.austingourmetpopcorn.com.

Office building nearing completion

Research Park Plaza VCousins Properties Inc. will complete construction on Research Park Plaza V on Dec. 1. This is the final office building in the master-planned commercial development, Senior Vice President Tim Hendricks said. The final building will have modern finishes, such as metal and glass, to appeal to potential customers.

“[Research Park Plaza V] adds an alternative product at a different price point than say The Domain,” he said. “Our customers are looking for larger floor plates, higher parking ratios at a lower price.”

The first tenant to sign a lease is Austin-based Planview, a company that provides solutions to optimize resources. Planview is currently headquartered at 8300 N. MoPac, Ste. 300. Hendricks said tenant finish-out of Planview’s 51,000-square-feet of space will be done in March.

Other features of the new building include an outdoor gathering area, a parking garage and showers for employees, he said.

“A lot of people during the day want to take a run around the grounds, and we found showers to be beneficial to employers,” Hendricks said, adding he anticipates an increase in people biking to work.

For more information visit www.cousinsproperties.com.