A third branch of Austin's Houndstooth Coffee is opening in the coolest location in Dallas: adjacent to TreeHouse, the sustainable home improvement store which is also another Austin import. The coffee shop will be located at The Hill Shopping Center, at 9730 N. Central Expy. and will open in the fall.

TreeHouse is the sustainable home improvement store that debuted in Austin in 2011, specializing in products and services that promote healthy and sustainable spaces with an emphasis on high performance and design. The company opened its second location in Dallas in June.

Houndstooth founder Sean Henry says that they're excited to be part of the new center and look forward to serving folks from around the neighborhood, but also customers and commuters from Collin County.

"This cafe, located right on US-75, will certainly be more accessible for our friends and fans in the Richardson and Plano communities," he says in a release.

The cafe will be the first in Texas to be equipped with a Mavam Espresso machine, an under-counter espresso machine that features a low-profile interface, offering guests greater visibility into the drink preparation process and a better platform for barista-to-guest interaction.

Ostensibly, that sounds good, unless your barista has, like, facial hair that drives you nuts or other peccadillos you'd rather not deal with. For some, those massive espresso makers are a comforting barrier. And if they have a mirrored finish, one can check one's appearance before jetting into the office.

This under-counter machine is also challenging for coffee consumers who are, shall we say, a tad bit controlling and like to monitor every step in how their espresso drinks are made. Hello Amber, can you please do a free pour rather than spooning the foam over, thanks so much.

The cafe will be powered by solar energy, and employ renewable and sustainable building materials and practices. This is keeping in line with TreeHouse's emphasis on sustainable living and reputation of being the world’s first energy positive big-box store.

TreeHouse CEO Jason Ballard says in a release that when it comes to their Dallas flagship location, they seek to work with like-minded operators and are excited to be partnering with another Austin-based business that has found success in Dallas. "Having Houndstooth Coffee as a neighbor enhances the TreeHouse customer experience and we look forward to the upcoming opening," he says.

Founded in 2010, Houndstooth currently has two locations in Austin, on Congress Avenue and North Lamar Boulevard; and two locations in Dallas, on Henderson Avenue and at Sylvan Thirty, a mixed-use complex in West Dallas.

In addition to the new Dallas location, Houndstooth Coffee will also open a third Austin cafe this fall, located at Platform, a new mixed-use development in East Austin. This location will be open late — until 11 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends — and will have a full liquor license with beer, wine, and a small menu of cocktails. The location will offer plenty of seating and is on the rail line, making for an ideal happy hour pit spot for commuters on the way home.

The Platform location will be designed by Official, a Dallas-based studio that also designed the Sylvan Thirty location, which features pale woods, accents of gold, and a swooping island bar. The design won an award in 2016 from AIA Dallas, the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects.