Austin-based coffee shop Houndstooth is set to open at the southeast corner of Skillman and Oram, replacing the custom framing store, Gallery Central, which is currently leasing that space.
Stephanie Smith, the owner of Gallery Central, says she found out she had to move from a letter she received the day before Thanksgiving. The letter wasn’t a complete shock since the whole area has been a “beehive of rumor” for the past year, she says. Plus, potential renters have been coming in and out of her store for the past several months, checking out her space.
Originally, she was afraid she would have to move to a completely different location, but she says Stonelake Capital Properties, the developer that recently bought that entire shopping strip, is setting up a place for her in the back, behind the coffee shop. They also gave her a few extra weeks to get moved, since Christmas time is her busy season.
“They were nice enough, but it was obvious this is a numbers game,” Smith says.
Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Lavender, the co-owner of Metro Paws Animal Hospital down the street from Gallery Central, says Metro Paws has a lease that isn’t ending for several more years, so she’s not too worried about having to leave.
However, her business has been affected by the recent onslaught of traffic from new neighboring restaurant Matt’s Rancho Martinez, which Lavender says sucks up most of the parking around her store.
“And as a tenant that makes me extremely worried about putting in another restaurant,” Lavender says.
According to its press release, Houndstooth has a different perspective on the parking situation. The release states that the coffee shop will be a “much-needed third space to the Lakewood, Junius Heights and M Streets neighborhoods,” and also that “ample parking means coffee lovers all over DFW can make a coffee pilgrimage anytime.”
In addition, Houndstooth says in the release that all the integrity of the “Houndstooth experience” will translate to the Dallas location, although the physical building will differ. Houndstooth has a single coffee shop in Austin on North Lamar, and the new shop in our neighborhood will be one of two more it plans to open in early 2013; the other in downtown Austin. Aside from offering coffee, the Dallas shop also will offer beer and wine. Stay up-to-date on the building progress by visiting its website.
We have calls into Houndstooth to find out more about the new neighborhood location, and also into Stonelake to find out about any other plans for its properties along Skillman, including the property available for lease across the street at the northeast corner of Skillman and Oram, which was denied a request for rezoning this summer.
