Instagram-ready restaurants, chefs stemming from Michelin-recognized kitchens, natural wine sellers, longstanding locally owned restaurants and retailers boasting trendy styles and spicy reads have come together to create a citywide destination. If only there were a place to stay. Enter Dude, Sweet Chocolate.
Dallas’ very own Willy Wonka, pastry chef Katherine Clapner, has restored the upper level of her recently relocated chocolate shop into an Airbnb she calls a “tranquil oasis in the center of Bishop Arts.”
“It's not going to be a five-star hotel, but it is a five-star Airbnb,” Clapner says.
Last summer, after 14-plus years at her former storefront, Clapner relocated Dude, Sweet Chocolate to the heart of Bishop Arts. The chocolate shop is now housed in a 125-year-old, 1,210-square-foot Victorian home at the southeast corner of South Bishop Avenue and West Eighth Street. Perched above the lower-level storefront is an idyllic Airbnb with a front-row seat to the bustling neighborhood.
“This entire upstairs was such a labor of love,” Clapner says.
The cozy rental is fit for two guests with one bedroom, one bath, a private entrance, parking, a fully fenced backyard with an outdoor dining space, a balcony and killer views of downtown and Bishop Arts.
“One of the things about this space is how amazingly quiet it is,” Clapner says. “When you walk up here, you have no idea that you're in this neighborhood. And that was the whole point, I wanted somebody just to relax.”
Owner Katherine Clapner says the space is "amazingly quiet" even though it's in the bustling heart of Oak Cliff.
Manny Rodriguez Photography
“She's a big, beautiful house that has been here for over 125 years, and instead of trying to hide those things or the imperfections, now I'm leaning into them and cleaning them up,” the chocolate maker says.
Clapner spent the tail end of summer and last fall rehabilitating the top floor of Dude, Sweet Chocolate. Respecting the home was “wildly important” to Clapner. “Otherwise, what's the point,” she says.
Developers have sterilized neighborhood after neighborhood in Dallas. Homes rich with history and built with century-enduring craftsmanship have been torn down to make space for sterile modern builds.
“Historically, Dallas is very, very bad at respecting,” she says. “They're very disrespectful of the future of properties. They tear down, and then we have all of those boxy houses.”
Current-day Bishop Arts District is a booming neighborhood where developers have built apartments that tower over century-old homes. Its character is preserved by nurturing locally owned establishments.
As with her sugary confections, Clapner approached the home’s restoration with feverish precision. Her intuition for design, her father’s impeccable taste and her landlord’s love of textiles breathe new life to the space.
The renovation involved stripping and repainting walls, installing new flooring and adding modern touches while preserving historical elements. Imperfections like chipping paint along door frames and sloping floors are embraced.
“Every layer of paint represents a person in the history or family in the history of the house,” she says.
Inside, Clapner’s enthusiasm for art shines bright. Pieces meant to be in the space found new purpose in the Airbnb, such as The House of MacGregor millinery’s Cassie MacGregor childhood dining table, which is now a side table in the living room. Pieces from her own home adorn reading nooks. Framed children’s drawings add sweetness.
There's no full kitchen, but Bishop Arts restaurants are within easy reach.
Manny Rodriguez Photography
The conveniently located rental is stocked with Full City Rooster coffee (Clapner’s favorite), tea, honey, mugs, filtered water, a microwave and a counter-height refrigerator. There’s a new washer and dryer and Public Goods laundry and cleaning supplies. And, yes, there’s Dude, Sweet Chocolate.
There’s no kitchen, but the entire neighborhood is at your service, Clapner notes. Ordering takeout? Clapner and her staff accept your delivery downstairs and deliver it to the rental’s doorstep.
The Airbnb runs from $140 to $185 a night. Private chocolate tastings and wine and Champagne tastings sourced from the neighborhood are available for an additional fee.
She’ll even help you get a bouquet from DIRT Flowers.
“Anything they want, whatever they're celebrating, let's get it to you and make it even better because it's all over my neighborhood,” she says.
