It’s hard for Oak Park Mall customers to miss the new shop on the mall’s first floor.

Even before walking into Midwest Dirty Pop, they usually hear the hits from another era — Madonna, Mellencamp, the “Back to the Future” soundtrack — blasting through the speakers inside.

On more than one occasion, owner Mike Lewis, an ’80s kid himself, said he’s caught people starting to sing along as they browse the menu.

In that sense, it’s more than just flavored sodas that the shop serves up. With its 80s music and decor, with nods to Pac‑Man, Donkey Kong and the Mario Brothers, it’s also serving up a dose of nostalgia.

It’s fun for customers, Lewis said, but it’s also a good time for him and his team.

“We have a lot of fun,” he said. “All my staff, we just have a blast.”

Midwest Dirty Pop opened at 11149 W. 95th St.

• The shop occupies a space on the first floor of Oak Park Mall, which is just off 95th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park.
• There, Midwest Dirty Pop is near Bath & Body Works on the first floor.
• Midwest Dirty Pop is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, though Lewis said those hours are subject to change.

Midwest Dirty Pop serves ’80s-themed “dirty” sodas

The menu at Midwest Dirty Pop offers a variety of sodas, flavored with various syrups and creams.

Those sodas are each named after an ’80s hit. The store’s current best-seller, the “Jack & Diane”, has Dr Pepper, vanilla, lime and coconut cream.

Lewis’ personal favorite is the “Summer of ‘69”, with Mountain Dew, coconut, mango, peach and lime. It’s a drink he likens to “sitting on the beach.”

In addition to sodas, Midwest Dirty Pop also serves flavored energy drinks, as well as lemonades (the latter of which, Lewis said, has become particularly popular recently).

Before launching Midwest Dirty Pop, Lewis diligently tested different mixes of syrups while working to perfect his menu.

With the help of his “taste-tester” — his 18-year-old daughter — he ended up with notebooks full of recipes, scratched-out ratios and yellow-highlighted winners.

It’s a process that he said ultimately paid off, especially after seeing a new customer’s eyes grow wide after their first sip.

“Especially after they have one for the first time, it’s like, ‘Oh wow, yeah, I’ll be back,’” he said. “People come in and get (a drink), they go walk around the mall, and they come back, get another.”

Lewis may grow the Midwest Dirty Pop brand

Even amid the grind of early mornings, inventory runs and long days of pouring drinks, Lewis is already thinking about what’s next.

At the mall, Lewis has already seen repeat visits from customers — some of whom aren’t even at the mall to shop and have driven from as far as Topeka to grab their favorite drink.

The demand for growth is clearly there, he thinks. It’s just a matter of where and when.

Though nothing is set in stone, Lewis said he’d like to expand with a Midwest Dirty Pop trailer to serve drinks at events throughout the metro.

Beyond that, he envisions drive-thrus in different parts of the area — potentially out of shipping containers, for a unique twist, with lanes on either side.

It’s something customers have already told them they’re eager for.

“I love that it makes people happy,” he said. “That’s the fun part; the best part is standing right here and giving them a drink.”

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