Eco-friendly home-improvement store TreeHouse has closed its Dallas store, and the days are numbered for its location in Plano.
The company would not verify closure dates, but the Dallas store has been closed for more than a week; calls to that location are being transferred to the Plano store.
A staffer at the Plano location divulged that it was anticipated to close on December 31.
Once the stores are closed, TreeHouse will be gone, according to a statement from the company.
"Since moving the TreeHouse headquarters to Dallas from Austin this summer, we have continued focusing on our business model for success," the statement said. "After careful consideration, we decided to wind down operations. We have made great strides towards our goals but fell short of those needed to secure future growth."
TreeHouse was an idealistic venture co-founded in 2011 by Jason Ballard, a former minister who opened the first store in Austin. It specialized in merchandise with an environmental and/or energy-efficient focus such as solar panels and Marmoleum floor tiles.
Austin seems like a perfect home for such a concept, but the company ended up shifting its entire business to Dallas.
In 2017, they opened a store in Dallas with great fanfare — we're talking an over-the-top party with free food and cocktails — at The Hill, the hipster-ish center at the northeast corner of US-75 and Walnut Hill Lane.
They then opened the Plano store in January 2018, and relocated headquarters to Dallas. They closed the store in Austin in May. At the same time, they announced that their business model would change from a retail focus to projects.
According to the Dallas Morning News, investors included Container Store co-founder Garrett Boone, Sabre vice president Bill Robinson, and Justin Cox, whose father Berry Cox was a board member of Home Depot.
Houndstooth Coffee, another Austin import, opened right in front of the store in November 2017. A Houndstooth employee said they could not confirm the closure of the Dallas store. "Unfortunately we're not allowed to talk about it — we're in the middle of renegotiation of our lease," the employee said.
It all seems a little sad. Dallas may be house-conscious but we're definitely not as eco-conscious as Austin, and more than anything, we're cheap.
Meanwhile, anyone who was in mid-purchase can email projects@tree.house for current projects or warranties@tree.house for any installed projects.
"We want to thank our TreeHouse family and customers for their support and belief in our mission — helping make homes more beautiful, healthy, and sustainable," the statement said. "As you upgrade your home in the future, we hope you consider using materials that are good for your family and for the environment."
