I BUSINESS

Paul Lefkowitz is marketing his own brand of popcorn -
as an environmentally safe packaging product.

LESLEY PEARL

"ED

Jewish News Intern

aul Lefkowitz
has joined the
ranks of environ-
mentally aware
businesses popp-
ing up across the nation.
He sells popcorn.
Mr. Lefkowitz and his
company, Perfect Popcorn
Products, air pops corn and
sells it for shipping and
packing as an alternative to
non-biodegradable
polystyrene, commonly
known as Styrofoam.
Rather than tossing
polystyrene into landfills,
popcorn can be recycled,
used as mulch or fertilizer,
or be fed to birds, he said.
Mushroom popcorn — a
tougher, less flavorful varie-
ty — is used for packing
rather than traditiorml but-
terfly popcorn — the fluffy
type that is buttered, salted
and consumed — because
mushroom pops into a tight
ball which will not break off
or scratch. . .
"I started this as an en-
trepreneur. I'm not a radical
or caught up in the envi-
r o n me nt a 1 movement.
However, after studying it,
you start looking at the ear-
th differently. Garbage on
the side of the road really
bothers me now," Mr.
Lefkowitz said.
However, earth-conscious
packing is only a part of Mr.
Lefkowitz's business. He
admits popcorn for packing
is a hard sell as people are
slow to change. Mr.
Lefkowitz's big moneymaker
is his snack food, available
oiled and salted and air-
popped and saltless.
The company is selling its
"Movie Popcorn" to more
than 100 stores in the Metro
Detroit area, including
Shopping Center Markets,
American Bulk Foods and
the Merchant of Vino.
Perfect Popcorn Products is

popping to the tune of 1,000
pounds of popcorn a day.
"This is the biggest part of
the business for now. It's
what I know and it's easy to
sell," Mr. Lefkowitz said.
He attributes that to the
smell and taste of movie
popcorn that American cul-
ture has grown to love and
know. Video stores agree.
One store has its popcorn
delivered on Fridays — a big
rental night — and
employees often open the
bags so the aroma lingers.
Several months ago, Mr.
Lefkowitz was watching the
news when he saw an article
about a man in North
Carolina selling popcorn for
packing. He had just broken
away from his family busi-
ness, L and L Concessions,
and he was looking for a new
venture.
"I thought, 'I can do that.
I've been involved in the

"I'm not caught up
in the
environmental
movement . . . but
you look at the
earth differently."

Paul Lefkowitz

popcorn business all my
life,' " Mr. Lefkowitz said.
His family has always
been in the concession busi-
ness. As a child, Mr.
Lefkowitz remembered hear-
ing stories of his grand-
father, Bob Leftkowitz, who
peddled chocolates from a
horse-drawn cart.
In those pre-concession
stand days, one of Bob
Lefkowitz's customers was a
candy store conveniently
located next to the Rialto
Theater.
Bob Lefkowtiz took a
chance and asked if he could

Paul Lefkowitz's
Perfect Popcorn
Products prepares
popcorn for
eating and for
packaging.

rent a corner in the lobby of
the movie theater to sell his
candy.
From those beginnings, L
and L concessions was born.
Mr. Lefkowitz's relatives,
Jerry and Jon Levy, still run
L and L. Yet Mr. Lefkowitz
hasn't been with the com-
pany since American Multi
Cinemas bought most of the
theaters in Detroit in the
mid-1980s and brought in
their own concessions.
Suddenly, Mr. Lefkowitz
. found himself without a job
and without a college
degree.
Looking at his transfer
credits, Mr. Lefkowitz decid-
ed he could quickly get a
bachelor's degree in psy-
chology.
He had no aspirations of
continuing education in psy-
chology. In fact, gerontology
held his interest. He started
Perfect Popcorn Products in
April with the idea of work-
ing hard for 10 years, selling
the business and going back
to school for gerontology.
Apparently, those plans
are changing.
"I'm having so much fun
2
doing what I'm doing, I don't CD
know if I'll ever go back to
school now," Mr. Lefkowitz 0
said.
CL

0

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

47

