Olivia Melody & Claudia Sadolva
palmettoreport@gmail.com

* Editor’s note: May is small business month in York County and this story is part of series of reports on local businesses in the community.

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — When Genesis Aviles opened a coffee shop in Rock Hill in the summer of 2024, it was never intended to be a place to stop for a quick cup of coffee, but rather a place where people could gather and connect.

“I think a lot of people walk into coffee shops nowadays just expecting to grab an order and have to go, and I don’t want people to feel like that,” said Aviles, the owner of the Borboleta Cafe, located at 2425 Cherry Rd.

“I wanted to actually create a place where we can all connect for a minute. I saw that our community needed that. We have things like technology that’s supposed to connect us, but a lot of the times, we’re too concentrated on looking down and not looking at one another across a cup of coffee or a cup of tea or reconnecting,” she said.

The name Borboletta, which is is a Portuguese word for butterfly, holds deep personal meaning for Aviles.

“My Godmother used to call me ‘Butterfly’ and she is one of the very rare individuals that I have met in life that passed no judgment,” she said.

Aviles was a guest on the Palmetto Report podcast to talk about her mission to create a coffee shop that she hopes can serve as a “third place” and promote a sense of community.

“We love learning orders. We love learning what your daughter’s favorite order is or why you came across Borboletta, or why it is that you want to come back every Sunday. We love that part and in our reviews and verbal feedback that we receive…people talk about the experience,” Aviles said.

“People talk about how they do feel welcomed or they’re happy, or they love the service. And you know, it was very important for me to ensure that Borboletta was being built on that cohesiveness, and that cohesiveness was translated over to our guests, so that they could understand that not only do we enjoy and love working here, we enjoy and love serving you.”

Aviles said there have been some challenges in launching a small, independent coffee shop, especially when trying to compete with the major chains.

“You have people who tend to tell you about the competitiveness of being a small business owner. As an entrepreneur, you have a mission for your business, but you have to make sure you look at the business side of things and prepare for some things to go wrong,” she said.

Aviles said Borboletta uses fair trade coffee.

“You’re really not just paying for that cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s the ethically sourced beans and the shipping that it takes to get to the United States, the farmers that get fairly compensated for their hard work, the baristas that go through training and the hours that go into ensuring that we create the recipe you’re going to enjoy.”

Aviles said what sets her small businesses apart from the larger chains, is a care about investing in people.

“I think when someone is sipping a cup of Borboletta that was made with intention, there’s a big difference between that and a large corporation where it’s just like, ‘here’s a cold brew. Have a good day.’

“It’s a completely different experience…you get to hear people’s stories. You get to actually invest in someone’s dream. You get to hear how it started, especially if you are a people person, and you want to hear how people have started and what they have learned along the way. I think those things matter.”

Thus, Aviles said she wants her customers to feel the same way her Godmother made her feel, by giving them a sense of belonging.

“I wanted to create, somehow, that essence of her, and that’s how Borboletta came to be. I hope that’s what I’m able to leave behind for others.”

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