Coffee to the rescue in the Old Lake Highlands neighborhood of East Dallas: Called East Dallas Middle Ground, it's a new coffee shop coming to the White Rock Center at Buckner Boulevard and Northcliff Drive — the same center that's home to restaurants such as El Vecino and District 9 Draught Haus.

The shop is going into a former home remodeling office at 718 N. Buckner Blvd. #324, and will open in March.

Owner Tiffani Kocsis envisions a shop with a hyper-local focus.

"We are sitting in the middle of a neighborhood, and we want a place that is reflective of the neighborhood around us," she says. "There are businesses, schools, families, and we intend to hit everyone’s needs."

They'll source their beans from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters, with a menu of traditional drinks such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, and macchiato, although they'll make pretty much any drink you request from macchiatos to skinny vanilla lattes.

"The goal is to meet people in the middle with great coffee," she says.

Their tea is from Dallas-based Rakkasan Tea Company, and they'll also have food, all from local women-owned companies including Haute Patisserie for pastries, Lubbies Bagels, Mill-King milk, and Milk & Patience yogurt. Erin Willis from RM1220, which closed in 2023, will provide grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items.

The space includes something for everyone: remote private working rooms that can be booked by the hour; an alcove for families with a TV, bean bags, table to play games, puzzles, toys, and crafts; and a work bar with outlets, and couches that resemble living-room spaces.

The shop's location in a shopping center means there is plenty of parking. There'll even be something for pets: a dog-friendly patio with planters to separate it from parking lot.

The only group it won't hit is the night-owls, with hours on Monday-Friday from 6 am-4 pm and Saturday-Sunday from 7 am-4 pm, with planned extended summer hours until 7 pm Thursday-Saturday.

Quirky fixtures like a vintage 1949 coffee shop sign further its mission to celebrate the neighborhoods, people, and personality of East Dallas.

Kocsis is a former school administrator and special ed teacher who moved from California to Texas in 2009 with her husband Jenci and their three children. Jenci is a Dallas native who grew up two blocks from the job; his mom still lives there.

"Growing up, coffee shops were always where my home when I wanted to be away from home," she says. "You can meet friends, do work. ... I always wanted to create that feel here in Dallas."