Shop has fun while taking coffee seriously

Houndstooth Coffee owner Sean Henry wants his coffee shop to shape and be shaped by its patrons, which is why he chose the name Houndstooth. In the second and third centuries in Scotland, houndstooth was one of the first plaids to have an official name.

"So plaids became regional and local identities to people in Scotland, so all Scots associate really particularly with a particular plaid, and that's what coffee shops can be," Henry said. "So, for a coffee shop, if you have a certain aesthetic or people or type of coffee you like, you helped create that pattern at that particular shop."

Henry opened Houndstooth Coffee at 4200 N. Lamar Blvd. to bring a Northwest-style coffee shop to Texas. He said the Northwest coffee is of the ristretto style, with darker crema on top and a thicker feel for the drinker.

Houndstooth uses coffee from several roasters, including Mad Cap of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Handsome Coffee of Los Angeles, Calif.; Counter Culture of Durham, N.C.; and Cuve of Austin, though he pointed out that there is no such thing as local coffee.

"We get to bring in stuff that nobody else is bringing in. It gets the baristas excited and hopefully our guests excited as well," Henry said.

For guests uninitiated in the world of coffee as a connoisseur product Henry said he recommends a cappuccino or trying one of the shop's brewed coffees.

Inside the shop, the counter juts to the center of the room, making the barista the star. The baristas must continue their coffee education, and attend at least three public cuppings a month. The cuppings are on Mondays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m.

Damon Clinkscales, a software developer who telecommutes, has come to Houndstooth every day since it opened.

"They care a lot about the coffee and have a lot of options," he said."It's kind of a coffee lover's dream."

While the shop takes coffee very seriously, the employees have fun as well. For example, barista Rudy started a playful tradition at the shop.

"He started wearing a bow tie on Fridays 'to redeem casual Friday,' as he said, and everyone else took up the mantle as well, and it became a natural thing. It was fun, and guests appreciate it," Henry said.

Houndstooth Coffee, 4200 N. Lamar Blvd., 531-9417, www.houndstoothcoffee.com