The coffee shop at Kyle House politely invites you to start the weekend off with an evening of music, shopping and outdoor activities.
Polite Coffee Roasters will host their first-ever Polite Party in Downtown Bryan on Friday, Sept. 1 from 5-9 p.m. The free evening takes place at Kyle House, Polite’s permanent location, and has something for all ages with live music, food trucks, local vendors and new fall cocktails.
The concept of hosting a community event came to Steve Turner, co-owner and founder of Polite, two years ago. His initial desire to be friendly with local neighbors morphed into a bigger endeavor that connects regulars and friends with small businesses.
“We always just dreamed of having a block party that got the neighborhood together,” Turner said. “We just wanted to have a place where we could all kind of benefit from each other.”
With the night kicking off around dinner time, the food truck lineup has something to fulfill every craving. JLM’s Chicken & Waffle, JJ’s Snowcones and Moonstruck Pastry & Coffee Co. will be stationed outside throughout the night. Pair your meal alongside one of Polite’s new seasonal cocktails, which can be enjoyed for longer with the coffee shop’s new extended hours, Turner said.
“Starting Sept. 1, [Polite is] going to be open until 7 [p.m.], and we’re going to serve a cocktail menu at all times,” Turner said. “We’ve got some of our spins on some drinks, like the Irish coffee. I won’t divulge all of them, but I’m really excited.”
Jon Couch and the Cushions will be playing from 7-9 p.m., according to Polite’s Instagram. While listening to tunes from the band, visitors can get their face painted, compete in a coffee-sack race, jump in a bounce house, play yard or board games or practice disc golf putting, Turner said.
“We’re trying to have a mix between stuff you can shop and activities,” Turner said. “We wanted something that you can’t get at your everyday store.”
Local stores like Bygone Vintage, Offbeat, KLĒNR, Stone Co. Climbing and Armory Disc Golf will have items for sale, ranging from old-school clothing to trendy hats and more.
Chris Thompson, Class of 2022, founded KLĒNR, a soap and sundries store focused on all-natural products, after his return from 10 years in the military, where he served as a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces. Turner, who is also a veteran, said their service to their country connected the two together.
“The community in College Station, I would say as a whole, is overly supportive of veterans,” Thompson said. “A lot of the vendors that you’ll see at the Polite Party, like Stone Co. and, of course, people at Polite, just have been really supportive.”
Polite’s close-knit community of baristas and regulars is a big part of why psychology senior Anna Buraczyk loves swinging by any chance she gets, she said. She orders oat milk cortado, which she said really allows for the taste of the coffee to shine through.
“I have some really close friends that work at Polite and … lots of friends that love it,” Buraczyk said. “They immediately texted me when it was posted asking if I wanted to go with them. And I, of course, was like, ‘Okay, it’s on my calendar conveniently.’ I was like, ‘My evening is blocked off!’”
With traffic and thousands of students, it’s easy to feel stuck in the Texas A&M bubble, Turner said. The moment you step into Downtown Bryan, he said it’s like you’re in a whole different city.
“There’s just so many people that are coming back to the town or new to the town, whether you’re a first year student or you just went and had an internship over the summer,” Turner said. “We just kind of wanted to, you know, get back on the radar of people.”
Polite Coffee Roasters is located on 800 S Bryan Ave. and is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Sept. 1.