In a historically black neighborhood in South Dallas, LPA designers are collaborating with local entrepreneurs to develop a sustainable business that also supports and uplifts a vulnerable community. Founded by sisters Khusbu and Pooja Bhakta, Do Better Café is conceived as a combination retail center, gathering spot and incubator space to aid formerly incarcerated individuals, offering the type of opportunities rarely found in a neighborhood that has felt overlooked and forgotten for generations.
“It’s inspiring to see a business make investment in the community a core part of their business tenet, part of their ethos,” says LPA Design Director
D. Alex John Jr., a South Dallas resident, who has spent long hours working with the group. Designers searched for the right balance of retail and supportive spaces, while being a good neighbor to the surrounding community. Early in the process, designers used a goal-setting card deck developed by LPA’s Sustainability + Applied Research team to identify community priorities and drive the design process.
The café developed as a multifunctional space: a coffee shop during the day and a nightspot in the evenings for comedy, poetry, rentals and receptions. The interior transitions from café to incubator space to retail bays, which can be used by new business owners. The defining element, created during those long discussions, is a tall greenhouse-like indoor-outdoor space that anchors one end of the building. Known as “The Lantern,” the bright, open hall and its surrounding green spaces will serve as a beacon for the community, reminding everyone we can all do better.
In The Community: Doing Good with Do Better
