At Haywood Famous, Eva Rodriguez-Cué is bringing a different kind of hangout to the nightlife scene in West Asheville.
Opened in summer of 2024, Haywood Famous is a coffee shop focused on providing Asheville’s community a sober spot to relax, refresh, and drink delicious Cuban coffee in the evenings. For Rodriguez-Cué, her business is a lifetime in the making.
“My parents always raised us drinking coffee all the time. We’re Cuban, we’d drink coffee after dinner,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “When I grew up, I extended that tradition with my friends, but it was tough because all of the coffee shops would close early. We just wanted to hang out. I knew that I wanted to be the one to open a coffee shop with a great nightlife and a sober environment for people to have a good time.”
As COVID-19 hit, Rodriguez-Cué began her journey in Asheville of building towards her goals. She started working in coffee shops to learn about the industry, gaining valuable insight and information to help her chase her dream. With this valuable insight and the inspiration of knowing there was a community looking for what she was hoping to provide, Rodriguez-Cué took the leap into small business ownership.
“I started working in coffee shops and learning from anyone who was willing to help, and so many people were willing,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “I was inspired by all kinds of people in the community that wanted a place to go in Asheville that wasn’t a bar. High schoolers want somewhere they can hang out and discuss their interests. There’s a historic sober community in Asheville recovering together that wants a place to go. Teachers want a place to grade in the evenings. There’s just a strong community here.”
As Rodriguez-Cué began to make Haywood Famous a reality, she sought out small business capital from a traditional lender but didn’t have much success. But after attending a local event with her mother, she discovered the Western Women’s Business Center (WWBC), a program of Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF), at a table and immediately felt a connection.
“When I found the WWBC, I immediately felt so capable,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “I saw myself in the other people there. I didn’t feel like I had to cover up anything about me or my business and what I wanted it to be. I was able to lay out to them my business plan, the social part of my business, and they understood.”
Working with the team at the WWBC, Rodriguez-Cué secured a loan from CSBDF that helped her to open the doors of Haywood Famous in Asheville. Where traditional lenders saw a lack of collateral and business ownership experience, the WWBC and CSBDF were able to work with Rodriguez-Cué and understand her business plan, social media presence, and numbers and help make her business a reality.
“I just needed a place that was more open-minded and willing to take a chance on me,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “The funding was a barrier between me and the entire thing. I got the funding from CSBDF and my business was open a few months later. Ultimately, it just gave me the access to do things in a high-quality way that I know is going to last. I saw myself in the people in the organization, and I knew immediately that this was where it was going to happen for me. It was so amazing.”
As Haywood Famous gets off the ground and running, Rodriguez-Cué is continuing to dream big with where she sees the business going. For her, Haywood Famous is so much more than a coffee shop. It’s a social movement. It’s a safe space for all people. And as she continues to build it up, there’s so many incredible things in store.
“I want to be able to employ neurodiverse people who are often misunderstood. I want to create a safe space where my employees don’t have to change, but instead I can support them uniquely,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “I want to make this a place people love to come and learn and socialize. I would love to be able to make this a place that teaches young people valuable skills – from home economics to financial literacy to how to fix a car to a new instrument – all youth led. I want to use this shop to give young people a safe space to express themselves in an accessible way.”
All that and more is possible for Haywood Famous, which opened its doors officially in August of 2024. The business is a culmination of years of hard work and dedication from Rodriguez-Cué, who is grateful to have supportive organizations in the community helping to make businesses like hers a possibility.
“I always joked that I was born in the wrong generation, but now I realized I was born in the right generation because things like the WWBC and CSBDF exist,” says Rodriguez-Cué. “It’s not just a business transaction for them. They want to see my business succeed, not just for me but also for the community. They have genuine people who have your back along the way. It’s a really authentic, meaningful experience working with those organizations.”
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