Flatiron Coffee Pours New Energy into the Arts District of Portland, Maine

Inside Flatiron Coffee Bar in Portland, Maine. All images courtesy of Flatiron Coffee Bar.

Replacing a longtime Starbucks in the Hay Building in Portland, Maine, Flatiron Coffee Bar recently opened as an art-centric cafe and micro gallery.

With a name that nods to the building’s prominent wedge shape, the coffee shop officially opened in July, bringing European flair and quick counter service to the Arts District space across the street from the Portland Museum of Art.

Bathed in light from the building’s large street-facing window, the compact bar seats about a dozen guests. The shop offers no Wi-Fi and only a few small tables, encouraging conversation between customers and baristas while drawing attention to rotating art on the walls.

Flatiron Coffee Bar Owner Gary Perlmutter — a classical realist painter and longtime orthopedic surgeon — showcases his own works alongside featured monthly artists.

“The [art museum] is right across the street from us,” Perlmutter recently told Daily Coffee News. “There are a couple of galleries around us, and it’s really kind of a vibrant area.”

He noted that retail vacancies since COVID-19 were a setback to foot traffic, though he hopes the coffee shop can continue to restore the district’s buzz.

At the bar, Flatiron offers a classic lineup of European-style, espresso-based drinks, supported by a Victoria Arduino Mythos MYG75 grinder and a 3-group La Marzocco Linea Classic machine. A Mazzer Major grinds for Fetco batch brews.

After initially searching nationwide for a coffee roasting partner, Perlmutter decided to go local, buying roasted coffees from Claw Coffee Roasters in nearby Scarborough, Maine, and Lay Day Roasters in West Bayside.

For now, Perlmutter seems content to leave the roasting to others. “I don’t want to recreate the wheel trying to roast and become another coffee roaster,” he said.

Perlmutter’s wife, Rhonda Pearle — an artist, designer and art director with deep roots in the New England art scene — consults on the venture. The couple also operates the Pearl Gallery upstairs, which remains active in the city’s First Friday Art Walks.

The third floor of the building — above the coffee shop and gallery — includes additional studio space for multiple artists, adding even more creative energy to the block.

“My husband was thinking we should just do it,” Pearle said of opening the coffee shop. “I thought, ‘he’s crazy.’ But he’s a dreamer.”

As for their own artistic endeavors, Perlmutter enjoys painting with natural light, while Pearle has been creating oil paintings for over 30 years, often drawing inspiration from hiking trips on Monhegan Island.

While guests can expect an open and inviting creative hub on the first floor of the Hay building, they should not expect a string of new Flatiron Coffee openings across the city.

“We really didn’t do this to make money,” said Perlmutter. “It was really to support the community and have a community meeting space.”

Flatiron Coffee Bar is located at 594 Congress St. in Portland, Maine. 

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