True story: my husband and I moved to Kyle in January 2012. When we were looking for a place to live while I attended Texas State University, we struggled, until the former owner of the Hays Free Press mentioned that she had just built a new building in downtown Kyle, which had four apartments upstairs.
Prior to this phone call, I had never even heard of Kyle, much less could I have pointed it out on a map. We received one single video of what is now Mary Kyle Hartson City Square Park — which was mostly an empty field with a fountain in the middle — from the balcony of the apartment we would be residing in. That was it.
A couple weeks later, my 20-year-old self and my husband packed up our life’s possessions and made the two-and-a-half-hour drive, along with our parents, to our new home in downtown Kyle.
Back then, the only things open on Center Street on the Saturday we arrived were Texas Pie Company and a little Korean market. I have since learned that the H-E-B plus! we frequented was a relatively new addition to the city, having opened only five years prior.
Over the next couple of years, this “little” town we moved to became home.
Some of my favorite memories of those days include Easter picnics at Gregg Clarke Park, trips to Railroad BBQ, walking our dogs through the downtown neighborhoods and weekend donuts from Hays City Donuts.
After buying a house in Kyle in October 2013, we thought we would grow old in this city. But, times changed and the impending addition of our son meant we needed some extra space to grow, leading us to move just down FM 1626 to Buda in 2017.
In late 2021, the opportunity arose to purchase the Hays Free Press, which my partners and I accepted in January 2022, bringing me back to the building I had loved for a decade.
As you might imagine, owning a newspaper gives you a different insight into a city, a deeper look into the belly of the beast, if you will.
I’ll admit, over the past three years, I have learned more than my fair share of negative things that happen in this city. Sometimes, that weighs heavily in my mind. It’s like peeling back the layers of something you love so much and not even recognizing what you find.
Recently, I was reminded of one of the many things I do love about this town and that is the people.
I left work one Thursday after a particularly long day working on a big project. I had spent so much time staring at a computer screen that, before driving home, I decided I needed some fresh air.
I remembered seeing a Facebook post earlier in the day from one of my newest favorite places in the area — The Main Squeeze — about a special they were having on their delicious lemonade.
I put my bags in the car and walked over. Not long into the walk, I remembered that another local staple, Hays Co. Bar-B-Que, had taken up residence in the lot next to The Main Squeeze while awaiting the completion of its new location.
I stopped by and was greeted by two polite young men working at the food truck. I ordered dinner for my family and continued inside to grab a lemonade while they put the meal together.
About the time I walked out the door with my freshly squeezed lemonade, it hit me: this is what I love about Kyle.
It’s the small, locally owned businesses that collaborate and build together, working so that they can both succeed. It’s the people who are so involved and invested in the community that they give of their time and/or money to make this place as great as they imagine it to be. It’s those who fight hard for something they believe is needed, or not needed, in this town.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of corporate development in this city. I understand that some of these businesses anchor our city. But, if you really want to know what makes this place feel like home, I promise you it has nothing to do with the big box stores or the chain restaurants.
It’s the neighbors, friends and community that have your back when you need it, whether you realize it yet or not.
To the others who are out there fighting the good fight — keep it up. There is a reason we do what we do, even when the odds are stacked against us and it feels impossible to break through. But, you know what they say, the moment you want to quit is usually the moment before you finally break through.
Kontnier is the publisher of the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. She can be reached at [email protected]
