Pie Junkie bakery owner talks being targeted by “freedom fighters"
Pie Junkie, a much-loved sweets shop, was recently targeted by “freedom fighters.”
Focusing on the Kensington location, a group began tweeting and messaging about the store in anticipation of a planned protest on August 12, 2022.
The Freedom Rally at Sunnyside had a message for people to bring signs, flags, and noisemakers in order to wake up the people of the community, according to screenshots shared to a Twitter thread by @JaneQCitizen.
Hey @piejunkieyyc your Kensington/Sunnyside location is being targeted for harassment this week by the same folks who have nothing to do all week but carry silly “freedom” signs & harass various #yyc neighbourhoods.
Stay safe!#CommunitySafetyYYC pic.twitter.com/D6Rto4ZENJ
— Aunt E Pho 🟥⬛️ (@JaneQCitizen) August 8, 2022
The local shop took to Instagram to share its story on August 11, saying the group was “picking on” the business due to an interaction with an individual planning to attend the rally.
According to the pie shop, this person claimed Pie Junkie was forcing staff to wear masks at its Kensington location, something owners say is not the case.
Dished spoke with Nancy Goemans, the founder and co-owner of the Pie Junkie and Bakery, about how the entire situation started and how it unfolded.
“Our staff are scared and are being harassed for choosing to wear a mask and protect themselves, their families and our customers,” Goemans told Dished over the phone.
According to Goemans, one of the members said they had visited the Kensington store, and when they saw one of the staff members wearing a mask, asked if the staff member could remove the mask. The employee responded they would not remove it, which caused the “freedom fighter” to assume that meant wearing masks was being mandated inside the store.
“She left the store without purchasing a pie and then tweeted that as part of the rally that the Pie Junkie needed to specifically be targeted,” she added.
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Goemans explained to us that there was no mask mandate for staff members at this time, but many employees still wore one because they couldn’t afford to get ill for personal reasons and financial reasons.
The entire situation was a scary time for employees, with “phone calls coming into the store since its opening. Some with kind warnings and some from the freedom fighter.”
The group promised to show up at the Pie Junkie bakery with 100+ people, Goemans said.
On the Friday in mid-August, Goemans told Dished that “the organization was poorly managed and not all freedom fighters knew where they were meeting.”
“A small group of maybe 20 people there [with] misspelled signs, negative energy, and a megaphone,” said Goemans. She also talked about the large number of people that showed up in support of the local bakery.
“On Friday, our store was bustling,” said Goemans. “We were overwhelmed with support from the community and all of Calgary. Offered us moral support, kind words about our business and service, pie purchases and even muscle at the door during the freedom rally hours.”
“Every second person told us they were there supporting the pie junkie and the freedom to choose to mask or not mask.”
“Really, is it so bad that food handlers not only wear hairnets and gloves but masks?”
At the end of the day, the protest didn’t amount to anything too serious thanks to the help of loyal customers who came by.
“I’m thrilled to report between staff, caring patrons out front and even some in the pub patio across the street, that the freedom fighters made much noise and bantered back and forth with those willing to engage but overall were outnumbered by supporters and did not stay too long,” said Goemans.
“One freedom fighter actually took the time to open our store door and then announce that most [people inside] were not wearing masks.”
“They should have done their homework before the social media comments and crazy banter,” she added.
Whether it’s review bombing or rallying out front, these targeted efforts have become less common.
Earlier this year, the Ship and Anchor had to turn off social media comments and the Winebar Kensington received over 350 reviews in just 24 hours.
“We are a small business run by a couple of women, and things like this can hurt us.”
“We had staff that didn’t want to come into work that week, and certainly not the Friday.”
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“We had nasty private messages sent to me and phone calls to the store and myself.”
“It’s big coping with the day-to-day, and to lose a week dealing with a handful of radicals was painful,” Goemans also told Dished.
Thankfully, after this situation passed for Pie Junkie, there was a silver lining for Nancy Goemans and the rest of the team.
“The texts, emails and messages on our social media of support and kindness started rolling in,” she said. “I was uplifted. Honestly, it was amazing to read the words people were posting. The number of phone calls offering support was terrific.”
“Calgary came through again as great people, always willing to help their neighbour, and we are so grateful,” she added.
In addition to this Kensington outpost, there are also three other Calgary locations in Spruce Cliff, Mahogany, and Crowfoot.
Making sweet and savoury homemade-style pies, recipes here are often inspired by local ingredients and are made from scratch by hand, with an all-butter pastry and homemade fillings.
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