Community Business Spotlight: Sweetheart Bakery

Nov 10

Chatting With Our Friends from Sweetheart Bakery

In this series, Urban Nest sits down with local PDX business owners to talk shop about what makes their store or business fit so well with Portland. Learn about new neighborhoods, new businesses, PDX community and more!

Stunning Sweets from St. John's

Some baked goods are love at first bite. Sweetheart Bakery in St. Johns goes a step beyond and has you falling in love at first sight. These hand-crafted delicacies are made with locally-sourced seasonal ingredients and adorned with edible flowers, herbs and other botanical elements. With products this pretty, it's no wonder they have one of our absolute favorite Instagram feeds. We talk with owner Anna on her experience living and working in our city:

UN: How long have you been in business?

Sweetheart has been in business for three years.

UN: What is unique about your business?

I think that I have an original approach to my work, both in the flavor design and edible floral styling. I use several local farms to source my ingredients and grow many of the flowers organically myself.

UN: For you, what is most important about the customer experience?

I want my customers to experience something new and delicious when they eat my food, my goal being to provide a sensual experience with aesthetic, flavor and aroma.

UN: How would you describe the community that surrounds your business?

One of the best parts of how I run my business is that it’s somewhat mobile so I can change my audience and take my business outside of my neighborhood into any community that I want to. I’ve been lucky to grow my business in the St. Johns neighborhood because I’m surrounded by my actual neighbors and friends and it has been an awesome experience to witness that community first hand.

UN: What do you think makes your business a great fit for Portland?

I think that I am unique in my approach to food and that people are engaging with it and finding beauty in something new and authentic. I think Portland supports creativity in any form and that I’ve been fortunate to benefit from that sentiment.

UN: What is your favorite thing about Portland?

My favorite thing about Portland is the people who live here! It’s an awesome city filled with opinionated weirdos, I love it!

UN: What part of town do you live in, and what do you love about it most?

I live in the Portsmouth neighborhood in-between Kenton and St. Johns on the other side of University park. My husband and I have always lived in this neighborhood and love that we know our neighbors, and feel like we are part of a small town inside a big city.