After the hustle and bustle of New York City and high-flying careers in marketing and retail business, Rob and Renée Israel were looking to make a “transition†in their lives, and they found it with an unlikely product — popcorn.
The Israels opened the first Doc Popcorn in the FlatIron Crossing Mall in 2003. Both Renée and Rob had been working in New York City for about 15 years — Renée as a marketing and brand consultant, and Rob owned a children’s clothing company. Soon after 9/11, both Rob and Renée, who had not met yet, were looking for a change.
“We were both living a lifestyle that was against our nature,†said Rob Israel in an interview last week. “Both of our jobs were very rat-racey jobs.â€
By 2002, Renée was nearly ready to leave her full-time job and begin consulting on her own, and Rob had developed a new passion — popcorn.
A year before he had his first taste of kettle corn at the Boulder Farmers Market while visiting his sisters.
Photo: Melinda Ellsworth.