Introduction to The Cottage Grocery
River Oaks’ favorite gourmet grocer is undergoing a significant transformation with a new name and a second location. Formerly known as Tres Market, the five-year-old market, bakery, and cafe is now called The Cottage Grocery. This rebranding comes after the founder, Julie Rhyne, and her business partner, Jeannine Holland, decided to part ways. Despite the change in name, Rhyne’s recipes remain the same, offering customers about 450 items prepared fresh on-site.
History and Background
The store’s history dates back to 1989 when Rhyne started a catering company from her home kitchen. As her business grew, she and her husband moved to Houston, where the store eventually took off, especially during the early days of the pandemic. Families in the area turned to The Cottage Grocery for restaurant-quality meals that could be heated up at home. Today, the store’s 30 cooks produce over 2,000 containers of food daily, along with a variety of baked goods.
A Family Affair
Rhyne is not operating The Cottage Grocery alone; she is now working alongside her daughter, Lauren Van Wagenen, and her son, Taylor Rhyne, as well as their spouses. The new name, The Cottage Grocery, is an homage to the building adjacent to the market, which Rhyne refers to as ‘The Cottage.’ It also reflects the family’s preference for cozy, laid-back vacation spots that offer comfort without being too fancy. Rhyne explains, “When we go on vacation, the whole family goes — my kids, their spouses, the grandkids, the whole fam-dam-ily. We love going to places that are laidback and relaxed.”
Expansion to Dallas
The Cottage Grocery is set to open a new location in Dallas this summer, led by Van Wagenen. The Dallas store will be located in the Highland Park neighborhood at 4919 McKinney. Both Rhyne and Van Wagenen are excited about the new location, noting its similarities to the River Oaks area, with tree-lined streets and a lot of walkability. Van Wagenen has already made a significant impact on the business by introducing barcodes for all prepared items, reducing checkout times from five minutes to 30 seconds.
Future Plans
Once the Dallas location is up and running, Rhyne and her son Taylor plan to search for a second Houston location. The family is committed to maintaining the high quality of their products and services, with everything prepared fresh in-store from Rhyne’s recipes. As Rhyne says, “It’s a two-story, cottage-looking house with these huge high-rises around it. Everyone’s going to be looking down at us, and we’ll be out there waving cookies at them.”
Conclusion
The Cottage Grocery, with its new name and upcoming second location, is poised for continued success. The family-owned business remains committed to providing high-quality, freshly prepared meals and baked goods to its customers. With its expansion to Dallas and potential future locations, The Cottage Grocery is sure to become a staple in more communities, offering a cozy and inviting atmosphere that reflects the family’s values and dedication to their customers.
