A local coffee shop that began as a small cart on Fire Island has grown into a full day to night business in Bay Shore. Known as Kismet Coffee, the operation now pours both coffee and cocktails for its customers. For its owner, Jackson Davis, the venture has always been about more than what ends up in the cup, with community at the heart of the idea.
The story started back in Kismet, the Fire Island community where the business takes its name. Davis launched it as a summer side hustle at the same little pizza shack where he had worked as a teenager. What began as a modest seasonal venture slowly built a following, setting the stage for something far larger than a single cart.
From those early days, the side hustle kept growing until it outgrew its origins. Eventually it found a permanent home in Bay Shore, giving the business a year round base off the island. The move turned a summer project into a steady presence that locals could count on throughout the year.
During the daytime, the Bay Shore space leans into its coffee shop roots. It serves specialty coffee alongside fresh food that runs from sweet treats to savory favorites. Among the offerings is what the shop calls its famous Kismet burrito, a nod to the Fire Island community that gave the business its start.
As the day goes on, the same space takes on a different character. The coffee shop transforms into a cocktail bar, giving customers another reason to linger and stay a while. That shift from coffee by day to cocktails later lets the business serve people across more hours than a typical cafe.
That longer day ties directly into what Davis says he set out to do. He explains that he wanted ways to be able to connect with his community more and, in his words, to frankly hang out with them more hours of the day. Building a great community around the coffee, he says, was the goal from the beginning.
For many in the area, the shop has already become a fixture of daily life. Locals say it has turned into part of their routine, with regulars who know exactly what they want, like a half caf cortado with blueberry syrup and almond milk. From a summer cart in Kismet to a day to night hangout in Bay Shore, the business remains, as its team puts it, fueled by community, coffee and cocktails.