To Paris Powell, Muncie feels like home. He was born and raised in the town before moving to Anderson when he was 13 years old. He later relocated to Port Charlotte, Florida. In July 2023, however, Powell returned to Indiana to attend a Back to Muncie Festival, which is celebrated citywide by all cultures. Sadly, following the celebration, there was a mass shooting in the area of South Hackley and Willard Street that resulted in multiple injuries and one death. Powell, who was one of the victims, was shocked that such a tragedy could happen in Muncie, even though he knew he shouldn’t be.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated thing,” says Powell. “Shootings happen in Indianapolis and other places all of the time. The level of violence now is diabolical.”
As a single father with a huge heart and big dreams, he wanted to find a way to reverse the culture of violence. Fate stepped in when he heard that the store at the site of the shooting was for sale. He thought that if he bought it, he could find a way to engage with the youth of the community in a positive manner. Powell originally considered converting the building into a study hall with computers and high-speed internet as an exploration hub for local kids.
“I wanted to get them in here and let them imagine any kind of life they possibly would want,” Powell says.
However, after going into a gas station and convenience store a few miles from his building, he witnessed an elderly black person getting berated by the cashier. Powell vowed never to patronize that business again. He then went to another nearby establishment and found they were selling products for four times their value. In that moment, he pivoted on his business plan.
“I thought, ‘I’m not going to complain about all of this. Instead, I’m going to get in the merchant lane and do fair-value pricing for the community right here where this tragedy happened,’” says Powell, who took classes at Ball State to learn about the intersection of entrepreneurship and community. In January 2025, he officially opened the POP Shop, which stands for Purpose Over Profit. More than a convenience store, it’s a way to mentally, spiritually and financially enrich the youth of the community.
Even though Powell had great credit and credentials, he says it was a rocky start as he initially had a hard time finding distributors who would work with him due to prejudice.
“People need to understand the difference between racism and prejudice,” Powell says. “It has nothing to do with the color of my skin. It has something to do with the demographic of the area and the audacity for someone with melanin in their skin to open up a store in this lane. That type of resistance is something you can’t put a finger on, but you know it exists. That’s the definition of prejudice.”
For a time, Powell had to drive to Indianapolis and fill his truck with inventory, then drive back to Muncie to stock his shelves. Thankfully, he found F. McConnell & Sons, Inc. to become his distributor.
Once he opened his doors, the public started flooding in to show their support – everyone from the Muncie Black Chamber of Commerce to the deputy mayor, the mayor, county commissioner, Muncie clergy and many locals.
“It’s been a great addition to the community,” says Gary Bouglass, who lives across the street from the Shop. “It was much needed in this area so the kids around here don’t have to cross those busy streets like Madison to get to the store.”
Employee Serena Sharp loves greeting the customers.
“The people around here are great,” she says. “The community enjoys it and keeps coming back.”
It feels good to build something beautiful on the grounds of something bleak.
“We wanted to bring light where there was darkness,” Powell says. “We wanted to bring life where there was death.”
Indeed, every day the shop has light, life and laughter.
“I’m going to make sure customers laugh when they get to that counter,” Powell says.
Some come for the laughs, and others for the homemade snacks, which came about quite by accident one day when Powell was hungry and went to the back to whip something up. The scrumptious smell of chili and noodles wafted through the store, and customers asked if they could have some. Next thing you know, Powell started selling his concoctions, which he admits are different every day.
“I throw in all these exotic seasonings,” he says. “I can promise you that what you get is never going to taste the same, but it most definitely will taste like something you’ve not tasted before.”
Whether the store succeeds or fails financially, Powell already considers his endeavor a success.
“I’ve had grandparents tell me their grandkids are promising to behave if they can go to the POP Shop,” Powell says. “That makes me happy.”
The POP Shop is located at 904 East Willard Street in Muncie.
