Since Spokes’ departure last summer, downtown Little Rock has been sorely lacking in the way of coffee shops. Lucky for us, this Saturday marks the opening day of Blue Sail Coffee located inside the new Little Rock Tech Park on Main Street.
Kyle Tabor, founder and owner of Blue Sail Coffee based in Conway, has wanted to open a Little Rock location since he founded Blue Sail in 2014. A plan was set into motion when he and the Tech Park director Brent Birch began talks of including a Blue Sail inside the park. Tabor, being a successful entrepreneur himself, found the park to be a perfect spot to put down Blue Sail roots in Little Rock.
The new space differs from their previous locations in the modern design that falls in line with the Tech Park style. The location boasts floor-to-ceiling windows offering plenty of natural light along with two levels of seating. Blue Sail’s Director of Social Media Stormie Perry describes the feel as modern but comfortable.
“It does have modern lines, but it’s not stark at all,” she says. “Our attitudes and the way we approach coffee culture at Blue Sail provides a relaxed air.”
On the topic of coffee culture, Perry describes this as Blue Sail’s role in knowledge and excellence of the coffee community. Blue Sail also strives to educate customers on where their coffee comes from.
“We want our customers to know that coffee doesn’t stop and start with the barista,” Perry says. “We build up that knowledge through education, but not in a pretentious way. We hope that our love and passion for coffee can spark passion in others.”
Blue Sail has been roasting their own coffee brand for about two and a half years. The coffee is roasted in Blue Sail’s downtown Conway location. Throughout the year, Blue Sail filters through several different coffees. Currently, they’re offering a Geisha variety — a unique, hard-to-find aromatic coffee originated in Gesha, Ethiopia.
Upon opening, the Little Rock location will not serve food, but pastries will be coming soon. Perry mentioned quiches and oatmeal as being a future possibility.
For Perry, the expansion to Little Rock means an opportunity to expand Blue Sail’s presence in central Arkansas through their community-centric approach to coffee culture.
“Blue Sail has made an impact in Conway through coffee, and I’m excited to see what we can do in Little Rock,” Perry says.
We can hardly wait to get our hands on a cup of our own in a matter of days. Head out to the Tech Park Saturday, March 25 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. for the first taste of Blue Sail in Little Rock.