A new throne room

The headquarters of Poo-Pourri in Addison is exactly what you’d expect it to be: fresh, feminine and overflowing with toilet humor. That is, after all, Suzy Batiz’ whole gig.

Batiz is the inventor and founder of Poo-Pourri, which, if you’ve somehow missed the YouTube commercial, is a scented oil you can spray inside the toilet before going No. 2 that creates a film on the surface of the water to trap unpleasant odors underneath.

Poo-Pourri is practical, tasteful, and the commercial is downright hilarious — because, come on, we’re talking about poop and deep down we’re all still 12 — but it’s Batiz who gets the last laugh, because her smirk-worthy product has made her millions.

So what does a successful businesswoman like Batiz want after making millions? She wants to move to East Dallas, obviously — specifically, into an old church that has been transformed into a home.

The building was once St. John’s Methodist Church built at Beacon and East Side in Old East Dallas in 1911. A businessman bought it several years ago and began the process of turning it into a home, until he eventually ran out of money.

“I saw an article about it online about two years ago and became fascinated with the idea of living in a church,” Batiz says. “So I started looking for churches in Dallas, although I envisioned a little white, steepled church.”

Though the building is more medieval castle than white chapel, when Batiz saw it for the first time, she knew she wanted it.

“I swear I heard angels singing,” she says. “It’s a super inspiring space.”

Her husband, however, hated it. He thought it was a bad investment, but Batiz bought it anyway, claiming it isn’t an investment at all; it’s a creative workspace.

She plans to host events there, and she hopes the revival of her property will help kickstart the surrounding area, which she says isn’t the safest part of East Dallas.

“I’m excited about being a part of the community,” she says. “We’ve just been so busy with the business that we haven’t really had time to stop and think, ‘Where do we want to live?’ I’ve always loved the Lakewood-East Dallas area.”

The building is still under construction at this point, but Batiz hopes to be moved in by September.

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—Brittany Nunn