By Jackson Keenan, Assistant Editor
Sly Fox is a cozy coffee shop tucked in an unexpected train car on N. East St. The shop is owned by 2020 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor graduate Jesse Bates.
The coffee shop opened two years ago in 2023 and recently celebrated its two-year anniversary this past Saturday on Jan. 18.
When bates was looking for a place to open Sly Fox a train car was not her first option when it came to a location.
鈥淭he location actually wasn't my first choice. I didn't choose to be in a train car, but I knew that the property owners were renovating, and they were going to be setting up a bunch of suites for businesses to be in, a I just applied to have a spot and, in this section,鈥� Bates said.
Even though the building was not perfect Bates, and her staff went to work building a comfy and cozy coffee shop in a location that can not be replicated. However, there are some difficulties that come with running a shop in such a small location.
鈥淚t's tricky. There's a lot of logistics that go into it, one simple thing was business insurance, insurance companies not being sure how to insure a train car. It takes a lot of creativity with space, because we don't have a whole lot of space in the kitchen, but it's just efficiency and working with what we've got, using all the space that we can,鈥� Bates said.
Beyond the interesting location Bates story of getting into the coffee story is also interesting as Bates started off as a nursing major but changed to pre physical therapy. After graduating Bates got married and started to work as a barista and eventually opened Sly Fox in 2023.
鈥淎 coffee shop was always a far-off dream, but I just didn't see it as a reality. But just one thing after another, God was just showing me, you know, bringing people into my life to encourage me and all that kind of stuff, to just slowly open my eyes to the possibility of like this can happen,鈥� Bates said.
One of the biggest driving forces for Bates and her business is her faith which has guided her throughout her life and the process of owning and operating her own business.
鈥淚t's that's kind of been the central thing for this coffee shop, and wanting the coffee shop to be an easy middle ground of you know anyone who in the community, whether you're a Christian or not, whether you have church hurt and you don't go to church like this is an easy place to come to, and I have always wanted it to just be a welcoming space for anyone to walk into,鈥� Bates said
For such a uniquely tiny location Sly Fox serves great homemade coffee for just about everyone. From macchiatos to americanos there is coffee that would suit anybody's taste buds, and they even have discounts for college students every Tuesday.
