Hyphen Space, the matcha and boba shop that has become a fixture in Dallas's Exposition Park, is relocating across the street to a much larger space at 4131 Commerce St., leaving behind its original storefront at 4100 Commerce St. No. 6. The new location will feature an expanded bar with room for about 60 guests, an upstairs loft, an art gallery and a merchandise area — a dramatic scale-up for a business that started as a pandemic pop-up with just $5,000.
A Bigger Bar, a Loft and a Gallery Wall
A Bigger Bar, a Loft and a Gallery Wall The move, reported by CultureMap Dallas, will give founders Alyx Nguyễn and Vivian Luu significantly more room to grow. The new space will include a larger bar, an upstairs loft stocked with a community library, artwork and board games, plus an art gallery and a merchandise area selling apparel, matcha accessories and local goods, according to the outlet. The layout is designed to give visitors room to work or simply hang out, though CultureMap Dallas reports Hyphen Space will not operate as a formal coworking space at the new address — it will instead host pop-ups and art shows.
Hours are set to expand too. Hyphen Space currently operates on Saturdays and Sundays, but the outlet's reporting indicates the shop plans to move to a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule once it settles into 4131 Commerce St., with more days potentially added down the line.
From a $5,000 Pop-Up to a Permanent Storefront
The expansion caps a fast rise for a business that began far from Exposition Park. In 2020, Nguyễn and Luu launched their first brand, The Boba Plug, during the pandemic with $5,000, according to KERA News. The pop-up built its following by catering more than 90 events across North Texas over four years, celebrating Asian American heritage through collaborations with minority-owned businesses including Khao Noodle Shop, La Casita Bakeshop and CocoAndré, per the seed reporting behind this story.
That momentum carried into a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $36,000 from 233 supporters by April 2024, the station's report states. The pair rebranded the business as Hyphen Space that year and opened their first permanent location in Exposition Park, the neighborhood tucked between Fair Park and Deep Ellum, with a grand opening on Dec. 7, 2024, per the same account.
Why Nguyễn and Luu Chose the Name Hyphen
Both founders were born in the United States with strong Asian roots, and the shop's name reflects that identity. Luu has said the hyphen represents connecting culture, people and art, while Nguyễn has described Hyphen Space as an Asian American café combining food, flavors and a diverse environment, according to CultureMap Dallas's reporting. That mission shows up on the menu, which pairs Vietnamese and Chinese influences with American café staples — pineapple buns, described as a Chinese counterpart to the Mexican concha, sit alongside bò kho buns pairing Vietnamese beef stew with a soft roll, a breakfast sandwich built on Vietnamese grilled pork sausage, and Vietnamese coffee cookies with dark and white chocolate chips.
Tea Takes Center Stage at the New Spot
Matcha remains the shop's calling card, and the outlet notes the new location will lean into that further, offering matcha drinks alongside an expanded selection of loose-leaf teas. Hyphen Space samples five to 10 matcha varieties per month and rotates its selection seasonally, sourcing the tea from Japan, China and Taiwan. All of the shop's syrups are made in-house, feeding into signature drinks like Pandamonium, a mix of pandan jelly, coconut and matcha based on a dessert Vivian's mother used to make, and Jasmine Blossom, which blends concentrated jasmine tea syrup with matcha to replicate a classic jasmine milk tea. Other menu items draw from personal memory too — the Strawberry Shortcake nods to Vivian's childhood strawberry shortcake ice cream bars, while Jamais Vu is inspired by dipping a bánh mì baguette into sweetened condensed milk.
The expansion also lands amid broader momentum in the tea category. The fast-growing matcha market is expected to be worth $7.43 billion by 2030, though shortages and price hikes are increasingly shaping the business, according to Fresh Cup. For Hyphen Space, the bet is that a bigger bar, more seating and a gallery-style community space will help it stand out as more matcha-focused cafes open around Dallas.
