If you are downtown Grants Pass, Ore., and you are hungry, then you may end up eating popcorn. At Blind George's Newsstand on G Street, the popcorn machine is almost always popping, and a vent pipes the buttery aroma right outside. If there is even a slight breeze, the yummy smell will travel a few blocks. Blind George's was founded in 1922 by blind man George Spencer, who first operated out of a tent with an investment of less than $50. Today, the business has a huge magazine rack -- as big as you'll likely ever see outside a big city, plus a big selection of out of town newspapers and a cafe, too. But popcorn is the star attraction, not just to local folks but to people around the world. Every day, countless packages in several flavors are mailed to all corners of the USA and even the world. If you are in Grants Pass, you owe yourself a stop at Blind George's Newsstand and a bag of popcorn. Chances are good that you will smell the store before you see it.
I grew up in Grants Pass and even remember Blind George and the tent behind the old Flying 'A' Gas station that was on the corner of 6th & G streets. When I was a kid you could go into the store and get a small bag of popcorn for a nickel and a coke too if you drank it out of a glass. All of my friends know that I still head straight for Blind George's if I'm visiting in Grants Pass.
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