Fluff Will Rebuild
Popular Midtown bakery temporarily closes due to water damage, but pop-ups continue
A sleepy Sunday took an unexpected turn at Fluff Bake Bar.
“Five minutes after we opened, water basically started pouring out of the ceiling,” chef-owner Rebecca Masson tells CultureMap. “It was like hurricane rain at one point.”
After quickly determining the water was coming from the apartments above her bakery, Masson discovered that a tenant in a third floor unit had busted a pipe while moving. She says she made calls and sent emails to the management company, but no one could get to the building to shut the water off for almost an hour-and-a-half.
By then, the water had destroyed most of her dining room. Now, the walls and ceiling have been ripped out, and she’s waiting on insurance adjusters and contractors to tell her how long it will be until she can reopen. The work will probably take a month or more to complete.
“I’m really glad we were here when it happened,” she says. “I think we saved a lot of stuff. It would have been a real shocker to walk in to, too.”
Thankfully, Masson did have some good news. The kitchen still works and has passed inspection, so business can continue.
“We’re still doing wholesale and taking special orders,” she says. “Insurance covers my staff wages and lost revenue, but anything I can do on top of that is helpful. My staff wants to work even though they’re getting paid. That’s a good sign.”
The Fluff staff produced a bunch of treats for last Saturday’s bake sale at Riel. So many people came by that they’ll be back there on November 11. Masson is also planning a pop-up at Southern Goods where diners will be able to order Fluff desserts instead of the restaurant’s usual offerings. Other events will be shared on the bakery’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Thanksgiving pie sales will happen, too, even if customers have to pick up their purchases from a table on the sidewalk.
The rebuild will also allow Masson to make some small changes to the design. She hasn’t decided what exactly she’ll do, but the walls might be different color when Fluff reopens. Mostly, she’s just determined to get back up and running as quickly as possible.
“Tuesday when I was in here and they were pulling down walls, that’s when it hit me,” Masson says. “It’s my child. My child is hurt. Now, I’m just, WE WILL REBUILD. GGRRR.”
