By Erica Buehler
In 2008, The Village Café was a different scene than it is today. When the business started, it was common to only have one person working the front of the shop. The same person would take your order, go prepare the food, serve you, and finish off by cleaning your plate when you were done. Ten years later, there is a staff of more than 30 people running the operations of the café.
“Our motto is, ‘It takes a village,’” says Kristy Petty, owner of The Village Café. “We focus on locality, whether that’s with our ingredients, music, or art. The heart of the café has always been in showcasing, celebrating, and supporting the artistic community and economy of Bryan College Station. I try to give a stage to all things local.”
When Petty first began the business, she says she felt like there was a lot of great art and culture in the Downtown Bryan area, but people didn’t really know much about them. She was inspired to increase awareness of the arts in the Bryan College Station area. The progress was slow, but over the years, The Village began adding more aspects to their local lineup. They present many different types of art, such as poetry workshops, live music, performing arts, and book clubs.
The Village is constantly evolving, and Petty aims for a day where they can have all their food made from scratch, but still come from a place of quality. “Often times, mass production messes with the authenticity of the product,” she says. However, the food has always been a byproduct of the arts and supporting the community according to Petty. “If it ever turns into just a restaurant, then I don’t want to do it anymore.”
The community continues to be the center of Petty’s business, and she says she hopes the other businesses in bustling Downtown Bryan feel the same way. “I think it’s important for us to stay as independently owned businesses so we can keep that heart in the community,” she says. “We are in a place where independents can live and thrive in this community.”
Petty says she has seen the area become much denser with more retail, restaurants, and people walking the streets. She says she finds the area to feel very communal — everyone chips in and pulls their own weight. Without having the communal effort from the start, Petty says The Village wouldn’t still be around.
“Many locals love coming here during the summer when it’s a lazy café, but the lazy café can only stay in business when we have the support of a lot of people,” says Petty.
The support doesn’t stop with the community. Petty attributes part of the success of Downtown Bryan to the ability of each business to rely on the others.
“[Downtown Bryan] is still building a destination presence,” says Petty. “We are a group of mom and pop shops; we can all support one another. The rising tide lifts all ships.”
When she thinks of the future for The Village, Petty says she would love to have more floor space to work with.
“My dream for The Village Café would be one bigger, grander restaurant that I can showcase, but I don’t want to expand into multiple locations,” says Petty. “The kind of restaurant that I’ve established and grown isn’t the kind that can be easily duplicated.”
The Village hosts their 10-year anniversary party on the evening of Nov 2. There will be live music featuring artists The Village leaned on during their earlier days. Many past employees are coming together for the anniversary as well. Petty says, “I’m hoping this weekend is a time I can celebrate and thank the people who got [The Village] to the place where it is today.”
