Opened in April 2008, The Village Cafe is owned and operated by Kristy Petty, Class of 1998, and also serves as the home of the Art979 Gallery, which celebrates local artists.
Petty worked her early years in restaurants and following graduation from A&M, she started a career in advertising. She said balancing work life and being an involved mother motivated her to open the cafe.
âWhen I was a single mom, I didnât like working for other people. I didnât want anyone to tell me I couldnât go to my kidâs field trip,â Petty said. âAs I was trying to think of something that gave me the freedom, what [stood out to me] more than anything was the hospitality industry.â