Editor’s Note: Coffee is not a seasonal drink. But as the crispness returns to the air this month and we say goodbye (we hope) to summer-type temperatures, thoughts of fueling up on pumpkin spice lattes and espressos in cozy corners increasingly drip and press through our brains. The stories below spotlight just a few of the many local coffee shops that CoServ supplies with energy. Who’s ready for a cup?
Kimzey’s: On Enchanted Grounds in Argyle
In a wooded corner where U.S. 377 runs south of Old Justin Road, tucked behind Earl’s 377 pizza restaurant and just to the left of Gnome’s Cones snow cone shop, is a whimsical café called Kimzey’s.
John “Sparky” Pearson (owner, Earl’s and Bumbershoots in Argyle) and Matt Fisher (West Oak Coffee Bar in Denton), are the creative influences and business partners behind one of the area’s latest hot spots.
Named for a family member of Pearson’s, the café is so enchanting–the architecture mimics cottages in Carmel, Calif.—that it doubles as a princess birthday party venue for little girls. A recent weekday morning saw the place humming with caffeinated patrons.
“It’s the first place like it in this town, and it’s cool,” said Becca Cox, enjoying a beverage while on break from the University of Alabama.
With seating inside and out, the café can accommodate 80 to 100 people – usually “students from high school all the way up to retired,” said Manager Jim Lusk, not to mention its use as an office. “A lot of meetings happen here.”
Kimzey’s hosts monthly markets that sell items such as candles, ceramics and other independently made artwork. It also features a family movie night and is home to the occasional knitting group.
The café’s menu includes pastries, quiche, scones and cookies. Lusk said coffee is an excellent excuse to bring people together.
“It gets people coming in and gathering at a place that’s safe and friendly,” Lusk said.
Edison Coffee Company: Light Bulb Moment in Flower Mound
Edison Coffee Company has found a second home in Flower Mound, and it’s already making a frothy splash.
Neatly situated among Parker Square’s three campuses—North Central Texas College, Founders Classical Academy and Midwestern State University (scheduled to open in January 2018)—Edison’s owners are optimistic that they can attract students and professors alike.
“You don’t have to force community,” said Melanie McWhorter, who owns the company with her husband, J. “You just let it in.”
And she would know. Because before opening the second location, Edison attracted Flower Mound customers to its Highland Village café.
Manager Chandler Hackney said the Highland Village location (formerly Roots) off Justin Road has a “living room vibe.” In Flower Mound, Edison tries to capture that same aesthetic as well as create a place attractive to students—“light, bright, easy to study in.”
In addition to being J’s middle name, Edison was inspired by inventor Thomas Edison’s love of learning. The owners’ vision, said Hackney, is to share their coffee expertise as humble educators and lifelong learners. “Some of our patrons aren’t familiar with drip coffee,” she said.
Edison roasts its own beans at a facility in Argyle and while it’s too soon to tell what smash-hit beverage will be, espressos and cold-brew coffees are the frontrunners – including this past summer’s special, Riptide, a cold-brew blend mixed with lime, coconut and cream soda.
Hackney said Edison plans to host an annual Makers’ Day for artists and crafters to display their wares. Additionally, customers should be on the lookout for upcoming holiday parties. A Gatsby-themed party at the Highland Village location was a well-attended, she said.
Edison has in-house baked goods such as scones, muffins and lemon bars, and a plan to roll out a grab-and-go menu is in the works.
While there’s no drive-through, they have an app (search Edison Coffee Co in the App store) to schedule a pickup.
But there’s plenty of seating inside to sip coffee solo or with friends.
“We love being able to facilitate the spaces that bring life,” said Melanie.
HoneyLu’s: Coffee 101 in Prosper
The way Eric Flattery sees it, there are three types of coffee:
1. Diner style
2. Starbucks
3. Specialty coffee
So when he and his wife moved back to North Texas after more than five years in Seattle, he came back with a mission—to find his niche between Nos. 2 and 3.
“People look at coffee as a commodity–as a caffeine delivery device — but looked at properly, it can be a craft product,” he said. “I want to provide the best of both worlds.”
In April, Flattery opened HoneyLu’s in the Kroger parking lot off Preston Road in Prosper. Named for his beloved dachshund, he keeps a water bowl outside the door for four-legged friends and their human companions sipping café-style on the sidewalk.
HoneyLu’s brews coffees and teas, as well as blends smoothies and pours lemonade. Additionally, it offers a light breakfast and lunch menu. A portion of the café’s earnings goes to a local no-kill shelter, Eric said, and he’s looking forward to contributing to the local schools as well.
The coffee shop has already attracted families, Bible-study and church groups. “I’m trying to create a place and space where people can come together and talk,” he said. “It’s a lost art.”
HoneyLu’s also hosts cupping classes–“Coffee 101”–he says to teach the public about the different blends and tastes. “It’s an educational process,” Eric said.
And he knows, too, that North Texans are sometimes too busy to get out of their cars on their way to work or while transporting children about town. He hopes to one day open a second HoneyLu’s with a drive-through window.
But mostly Eric hopes to change the way people think about coffee: “At the end of the day, coffee is a fruit,” he said. “A properly brewed coffee will leave your mouth salivating.”
