Rokabilly Coffee opened its doors in late August of 2021. Virginia Alexander and Susan Solimine started out as a mother daughter team thinking they would be just a small-town business with a few customers per day. They didn’t realize how much the community wanted them here, and it wasn’t too long before they hired a few employees. Today they have seven employees in addition to them. 

Susan was born and raised in Grass Valley, California. She met her husband Jerry in 1972 in San Francisco while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. They have three children and three grandchildren. Jerry and Susan love to sip coffee on their front porch while watching the wildlife and enjoy attending antique car shows. In 1994, the Solimines moved to Smith County, TN in hopes of finding a slower pace. 

Susan learned to bake from her mother who shared the importance of a homemade dinner and dessert with her family. She remembers making chocolate chip cookies for the first time and mixing everything all together at once. She lifted the beaters out of the bowl and dough splattered all over the ceiling. Since then her baking has improved, but the mess is still questionable. 

Virginia was also born in Grass Valley and was 7 when the family moved across country. After graduating high school in 2005 she swore she would never return to Smith County. She had high hopes of moving to Colorado or NYC. However, after attending MTSU and living in Murfreesboro for 7 years, she realized the importance of a small community and decided to move home. The positive impact of everyone knowing everyone outweighed the idea of moving away, so she bought a house in Lancaster, TN. She fell in love with her best friend Billy Jack Alexander (another long story) and they got married in 2018. They now reside in New Middleton with their sweet pups Buddy Roo and Hawkeye. They love camping, kayaking, hiking, and traveling during their free time. 

Virginia always dreamed of seeing a coffee shop in the downtown area of Carthage. She was fascinated with downtown areas and was fortunate enough to work in downtown development for 6 years at the Upper Cumberland Development District.

Susan has always shared her love of baking with the people in her life from cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, orange rolls on Easter morning, and home-made candy trays delivered to teachers and friends at Christmas. 

Virginia worked at JoZoara Coffee shop in Murfreesboro for three years where Teresa Harmon taught her how to make a true cup of coffee. Coffee that warms from the heart and truly hits your soul. Teresa instilled knowledge but also reminded Virginia how important PEOPLE are. 

Virginia and Susan often talked about opening the business. They even bought their water dispenser about 10 years ago in hopes to see the dream come to reality. They looked at multiple buildings over the years and even considered a food truck until their husbands reminded them they don’t know how to pull a trailer. 

So, when the pandemic hit in 2020 Virginia found time to finally create a business plan. She wanted to see if this dream could be a reality one day, and shockingly things lined up to make it happen. A building became available and all signs pointed to yes to move forward and create RokaBilly Coffee. 

Rokabilly Coffee offers handcrafted espresso drinks and home made from scratch pastries. Each drink is made to order using a LaMarzocco Espresso Machine, made in Florence, Italy. The cold brew drinks are made with a velvety blend that takes 24 hours to steep. Their beans are sourced from Honest Coffee Roasters in Franklin, TN. The employees work alongside Virginia and Susan to create seasonal menus throughout the year for both drinks and specialty pastries. Susan, Rachel, and Gracie make handmade pastries every day. The cinnamon rolls are made using Susan’s grandmother’s rolling pin that was made by her father over 80 years ago.  

Virginia and Susan want people to feel at home in their shop. They’ve created a space that they hope is warm and welcoming and invites you to sit down for a minute. They restored the space back to its original beauty by exposing the original ceiling, brick walls, chimney, and transom windows above the storefront. Susan’s cinnamon rolls fill the back alley and the store with a glorious aroma every day, and the coffee beans are fresh ground for every drink. Local art is hung on the walls by a new artist each month, and a mural in the back created by local artists in celebration of Rokabilly’s business loan payoff reminds us “There’s No Place Like Home.”