LC D.
Yelp
I would have much preferred not to spend my past weekend arguing with Bree (the owner of Flour Bloom) or making this review, but she has a pattern of being rude and aggressive with customers on Instagram for giving any sort of not 100% rosy feedback, even when done politely, while also claiming to be the victim. I have no doubt she deals with a lot of hostile people online who hide behind a screen to say terrible things- but I've seen plenty of instances now where it is clear Bree is the bully. I've never seen a business owner behave like this. It is baffling and childish, honestly. She also was spreading lies about someone on her personal Instagram who left a bad review, falsely claiming they were being threatening and aggressive when they were not and continued to not honor their pronouns and gender identity to further the narrative of being victimized by a man. Yes, their Insta comment was a little snarky but it was nothing warranting her claims and blasting my friend publicly on her personal and public account of nearly 2k followers. That could have lasting consequences. She also was pretty rude to me in comments on Insta, claiming I was not being truthful about having previously been told incorrect information and having polite feedback comments deleted until I showed her screenshots but she did not publicly apologize for how she spoke to/accused me.
Until Bree takes responsibility for how she has treated people, I'd urge folks not to patronize Flour Bloom. It's a shame because as someone also from Long Island, I was super hyped about this place and bringing people here, and I was recommending Flour Bloom a lot. I did really enjoy the rainbow cookies, even though they weren't traditional enough to truly be rainbow cookies imo. Also loved the vibe and concept. I was truly rooting for Flour Bloom to succeed until witnessing this behavior over the past few months and these most recent interactions. If you search Reddit there is even more information out there that would make people not want to support Flour Bloom.
If you want Italian pastries and sandwiches without the hatefulness, try Sebastiano's, Giuseppe's Bakery, Montelupo, or Bella's Italian Bakery. If you want top notch pastries of any kind, Petunia's is amazing and everything there is delicious, vegan, and gluten free, so you can bring anyone. I also want to plug some of the small businesses that truly deserve more hype for their quality and because they are run by great people. Most of these places are either entirely vegan or have vegan options and are also women or queer-owned. I'm not even vegan and think these vegan places are great! Check out Ben & Esthers (vegan NY deli), Chubby Bunny (vegan breakfast sandwiches), The Groovy Floret (for tasty vegan tacos and more with 1970s flare), Fried Egg I'm in Love (fantastic breakfast sandwiches and vibes), and Gnarly's (amazing vegan burgers and Sunday Drag Brunch). These are truly welcoming places with great food that deserve more love! For cute locally made gifts, I'd buy direct from the artists you see in Flour Bloom. You can also check out Tender Loving Empire, Ruby Mercantile, and Citizen Ruth (all small businesses). There are so many awesome places in Portland to support that deserve patronage.