8 January 29 - February 4, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Make Space Tired of bars? Check out one of Dallas’ ‘third spaces’ that don’t come with sticky floors. BY ALEC SPICER, ALYSSA FIELDS E ver since corporate America de- cided to drag people back to greige offices made especially miserable by the glow of fluores- cent lighting and a coworker fu- eled by an obsessive, high-protein diet, third spaces have grown in popularity. A third space, as coined by American so- ciologist Ray Oldenberg, is a home away from home and an escape from the office. It’s a space for building community and con- nection, and Oldenburg argued that it’s es- sential to human happiness. He’s probably right. According to Oldenberg, there are seven general rules for a third space. In brief, a third space requires no invitation, brings a sense of belonging, is conveniently located, is not expensive (with no implied caste sys- tem), has a roster of regulars, welcomes con- versation and laughter is plentiful. So, as much as we love libraries, they’re ruled out here. Coffee shops are the most obvious third spaces, so you’ll find a couple below, but that’s well understood at this point, and you don’t need to read up on an exhaustive list of things you already know. Here are some of the best third spaces in North Texas: Dallas Animal Services 1818 N. Westmoreland Road We’d be remiss not to include a third space on our list without throwing in a volunteer opportunity, and there is no better than Dal- las Animal Services. Walk some dogs, play with some kittens and meet some friends while you’re at it. The shelter runs on volun- teers, many of whom are frequent flyers. So if you’re tired of shelling out $7 for a fancy pourover, make your way to the Dallas Ani- mal Services shelter, or any shelter for that matter, and make some friends for free. About half of the living creatures you might meet at this third space make great listeners and offer limited critical feedback. Elmwood Farm 1014 Nolte Drive Touch grass, literally. Elmwood Farm is a one-acre plot tucked into North Oak Cliff. The property welcomes its members, who pay a small monthly fee, to treat the farm as their own backyard, and it’s got some good landscaping. The farm also hosts community events, like massive farm dinners, classes about all things horticulture and even a yearly music festival. If your Hinge profile says you’re outdoorsy (true or not), this is your chance to go get down and dirty on the farm. Halcyon 2900 Greenville Ave. This Lower Greenville gem will make you feel less like you’re in a coffee shop and more like you’re in the New York City loft you fantasized about. Halcyon doesn’t just serve lattes. There’s a full menu with comfort favorites like a sausage biscuit and fried chicken with waf- fles. The best part is that it’s open late (10 p.m. on weeknights, 11 p.m. on Fridays and Satur- days), and it has a full-service bar, so you can go from a shot of espresso to an espresso mar- tini without having to face the sticky floors and shoulder-to-shoulder maze of a regular bar. Don’t miss special events like social mixers, movie marathons and drag shows. Beyond the Bar Bottleshop 101 S. Sherman St., Richardson If you enjoy the social vibrancy of a bar but want to de-center alcohol from making new connections, this self-proclaimed “dry Janu- ary HQ” offers the atmosphere of a bar with- out the regret or hangxiety. Open from noon to 7 p.m. most days, the Richardson outpost frequently hosts pop-up community events, but if you don’t need the liquid courage any- way, you’re bound to make a friend here on a random Thursday. Dallas Circus Center 2355 W. Northwest Highway A common third space is a gym, but why lug around barbells when you can work your bi- ceps swinging from the ceiling? The Dallas Circus Center is beginner-friendly, has a jam- packed schedule and will run you less than a Uptown mat pilates club membership. Plus, it’s much harder to isolate by way of head- phones in a 10-person class where at least one person is airborne at all times. Give it a try. Dallas Makerspace 1825 Monetary Lane, No. 104, Carrollton Do you crave the rich smell of freshly sliced pine? If so, we have the place for you. Dallas Markerspace is for the city-dwelling crafters who have no garage to make a mess in. The nonprofit workspace functions as a 24/7 craftbarn for engineers, woodworkers, cera- mists and whatever else you could possibly think of. Members who pay their monthly dues have access to all the shop’s tools, which are many. It hosts a plethora of affordable classes ranging from laser engraving on wood to fine metal pouring to glass blowing. And if you’re really looking to just dip your toe in the water, they also throw potluck movie nights. Top Ten Records 338 Jefferson Blvd. There’s always something fun happening at Dallas’ oldest record store. Music thrives here most, but the nonprofit shop has built a reputation for bringing Dallas together through art, pop culture and community- minded events. Love talking your way through a movie? They have a monthly movie screening series for that. Want to test your new material on an intimate open mic? Be there on the first and third Wednesdays of every month. Free prizes are offered at semimonthly trivia nights. Texas Theatre 231 Jefferson Blvd. A location with implied rules of silence doesn’t sound like the place to meet people, but this movie theater is different. The Texas, which is the location of Lee Harvey Oswald’s arrest, is one of the more obscure cinemas in the city, showing movies you’ll probably never see anywhere else. The the- atre has devoted fans and frequent flyers who regularly stop by the bar before a movie and probably swing back by after it ends. Ev- eryone knows everyone, which makes it a great occasional music venue. Go enough times, and you’ll begin to recognize all the city’s movie buffs. And with no assigned seating, bold friendliness is welcomed. The Meteor 1950 Hi Line Drive We said we wouldn’t include a lot of coffee shops, but this one is different. First, it’s open until 11 o’clock, a rarity in this city. Sec- ond, The Meteor hosts numerous events monthly. Trivia, happy hours, speed dating — you name it, they’re doing it. With a good kitchen that’s also open late, it’s a great spot to meet and mingle. It has two rooms: one ideal for wining and dining, and a swankier room that lends itself to cozy conversation. ▼ ARTISTS SECOND NATURE WITH HER NEW EXHIBIT AT ART ON MAIN, DALLAS’ HAN CAO GIVES ART A NEW LIFE THROUGH VIBRANT EMBROIDERY. BY PRESTON BARTA I n the dusty corners of flea markets, tucked away in forgotten boxes, lie the ghosts of moments past. Anonymous faces stare out from brittle photographs, their stories silenced by time. But for Dallas- based fiber artist Han Cao, these cast-aside images are not endings but rather new be- ginnings. With a needle and brightly colored thread, she pierces the surface of these vin- tage photographs and postcards, stitching new life into them and transforming them into intricate visual narratives. Her solo exhibition, Second Nature, kicks off the new year at Art on Main Gal- lery in East Dallas, running through Feb. 7. The collection is a poignant exploration of memory, identity and the quiet ways we in- tegrate the world into our inner lives. Through delicate embroidery, Cao reimag- ines the histories embedded in everyday snapshots, suggesting that seeing is never passive, but an act of constant re-creation. Cao’s artistic journey began at home, in- fluenced by her Vietnamese upbringing and her mother’s work as a seamstress. “I think I was always drawn to fibers, watching my mother work,” Cao recalls. A childhood incident involving a broken sew- ing machine suppressed her early interest, but the pull of textiles remained. Years later, after leaving a demanding career as a strategy consultant, she found herself drawn to the slow, meticulous nature of craft. Her path to the medium was sparked by a visit to a flea market. “I was just seeing these boxes full of these old photographs,” she says. “People are just walking by and laughing at them or they’re dismissive. When I stopped to look at the photographs, I found the expressions on these people’s faces were so poignant and timeless.” She felt an invitation “to connect the past to the present.” In Cao’s hands, a black-and-white portrait blooms as a vibrant, three-dimensional bou- quet bursts from a subject’s head. A faded landscape ripples with geometric patterns of thread, and forgotten figures are given new focus. This interplay between the original image and the tactile presence of the embroi- dery creates a striking visual dialogue. “Embroidery is one of those things where you’re very present because it is a very slow and meticulous craft,” she says. “The act of stitching with these images becomes kind of a way of honoring the image. You’re spend- ing a lot of time with this photograph.” What’s Old Becomes New Again The exhibition’s title, Second Nature, is a nod to how our memories and ways of seeing evolve until they feel instinctual. Cao uses natural elements to explore this idea. The dandelion, a recurring symbol in her work, represents womanhood and nurturing. “We just think about them as weeds ▼ Culture Anisha Holla The Meteor is a coffee shop with late hours.
