A Houston kolache favorite’s expansion to Kingwood has come to an abrupt end. The Kolache Shoppe closed its franchise location on Sunday, July 2, the restaurant announced.

Opened last November in the Main Street Kingwood mixed-use development (4521 Kingwood Dr.), the bakery and cafe was the first franchised location for Kolache Shoppe owners Randy and Lucy Hines. A number of factors contributed to the decision to close after only eight months of operations.

“Unfortunately, we experienced several unanticipated challenges, including operational, geographic, and financial, which hindered our ability to perform well in the Kingwood market,” Randy Hines said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment. “Specifically traffic flow and suboptimal visibility of the location, but also building costs which skyrocketed, leaving less operating capital for our franchisees.”

While the Kingwood location has served its last kolache, the Hines are moving forward with plans to open a new franchised location in Pearland. Announced in February, it will open this summer in Pearland’s Broadway Plaza shopping center at 11940 Broadway St.

“Pearland truly is a special place, and we can’t wait to introduce our kolaches to the vibrant community there,” Hines said. “Looking ahead, we are filled with anticipation for the future and excited to announce that another new location is also on the horizon. We can’t wait to share the details soon.”

Open since 1970, Kolache Shoppe is known for its Czech-inspired, sweet and savory pastries that come with both traditional fruit toppings and a wide array of meat fillings. The bakery’s stores in the Heights and Greenway Plaza, both of which are owned by the Hines, remain open and are unaffected by the Kingwood location’s closure.