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A popular Houston kolache chain has landed in the small city of Celina, its first outpost in the Dallas area.
Kolache Shoppe held a soft opening Jan. 29 for the store at 605 South Preston Road, just east of Celina’s downtown.
Situated in a new retail center known as Celina Station, the 1,558-square-foot store also features a full coffee bar serving lattes, americanos, cappuccinos and flat whites, which consist of espresso with "microfoam." The shop also has a drive-thru window.
The story behind the store, which specializes in many flavors of Czech-inspired pastries, dates back more than 50 years. The first shop was started in 1970 by Erwin Ahrens, who used an original, authentic recipe for his made-from-scratch doughy creations.
Current owners and native Texan Lucy Hines and Randy Hines took over from Ahrens in 2014.
Kolache Shoppe has three other locations, all in and around Houston. The busiest store, in Houston's Heights neighborhood, serves an average of about 2,500 guests per week.
“The Kolaches Shoppe is a brand that really cares about culture, and bringing joy and kindness is even above our kolaches,” Lucy Hines said. “We communicate that through our kolaches and through our service, and we are excited to bring that to the Dallas area.”
The DFW expansion is a franchise deal. Franchisees for the Celina store are Jake Poulsen and Courtney Poulsen, as well as Courtney’s parents, Gary and Cindy Mechler. The Poulsens are longtime residents of Frisco and said they look forward to serving the Celina community. Courtney is a former middle school teacher, and Jake’s background includes business leadership and restaurant management.
“We are both ‘people people’ and are excited to play a role in Celina by providing a delicious and convenient option to begin each day," Jake Poulsen, whose background includes business leadership and restaurant management, said in a statement. Courtney Poulsen is a former middle school teacher.
Expanding to Celina in high-growth Collin County was a decision backed by substantial market research on the town, which has been favorable to growth and welcoming to new businesses in recent years, Lucy Hines said. New restaurants are following all the new rooftops in the northern portion of the county, and diverse, global flavors are often on the menu.
“We knew we wanted to expand,” she said. “In all honesty, it’s kind of a test market because Dallas is different from Houston.”
The Celina store was initially slated to open in the fall of 2023, but supply chain constraints pushed back the opening by a few months. The first-generation space cost more than $800,000 to build out. The franchising fee to run a store is about $30,000.
Lucy Hines, who worked at the store during its opening week, added the shop’s “familial atmosphere” fits in with the charming feel of downtown Celina.
“The people that I've been working with so far, as customers, have just kind of felt that same thing,” she said. “So you're bringing your kids in, or you're coming in before work, or you just want a nice place to land that is not going to be raucous but it's going to be inviting.”
The Poulsens and Hineses, longtime friends and kolache enthusiasts, said bringing the store to Celina was a dream come true.
"With Jake and Courtney at the helm, they’ve experienced the culture of the shop, and they desire to make it the heart of Celina and a place where you come and have a great kolache and also a great experience,” Lucy Hines said.
In just a few days, owners said the store has drawn about 500 customers. Its most popular offering are the sweet-filled kolaches, with the sweetened cream cheese flavor taking the spotlight. The shop is also known for its cinnamon rolls, which are one of few items on the menu that aren’t kolaches.
A grand opening for the shop will be held Feb. 19, followed by a week of specials on coffee and kolaches.