Different than the others: Joybird coffee
Kylie Davis, Contributing Writer
Feature graphic by Kylie Davis
Why does Travelers Rest need another coffee shop? Well, that is exactly the question owners of Joybird, Zach and Emily Lee, faced when opening up their shop in Travelers Rest. Why does our little town need another coffee shop?
Zach and Emily Lee have opened up a safe place that provides a unique experience compared to the other coffee shops in the area surrounding North Greenville University.
Stepping into Joybird takes you right back to the nostalgia of the olden days, like the smell of stepping into your mom’s kitchen. Their shop creates an atmosphere of comfort and security through their interior design and hospitality, while it also feels like a little slice of home away from home.
When you walk in, you hear coffee brewing, bread baking in the oven and classic 50’s playing over the sound of customers chatting. Their shop does not seek to follow the trends of our day but instead focuses on a holistic experience their customers will get when they walk in the door.
The name “Joybird” was inspired by Emily Lee’s mother, who has since passed away. As a means of honoring her mother and giving a nod towards her, they chose the name Joybird. A bonding point for Emily and her mother was their love for birds, which helped to inspire the shop’s name.
The name was originally going to be something else, but due to some possible copyright issues, the name had to change. They had all of the logos and fonts done based off the original name for the store, and they wanted to keep the “bird” aspect of the logo. In an effort to keep that same identity and logo, they took their daughter’s middle name, Joy, and it became Joybird.
Joybird started out as a coffee truck on the corner of Sandy Flat and West Darby Road and is now located at 308 Poplar St. in Travelers Rest. The move to the permanent location began in 2026 and they officially opened their doors on March 25, 2026.
Zach and Emily Lee are running this location, while also balancing life with a toddler and a newborn.
Their mission is “to create unforgettable experiences centered around people” and this is evident in their core values and through how they run their business.
They have had experience running and operating coffee shops in the past. The couple decided to move to the Greenville area in search of more opportunities and for a place they wanted to raise their children. Their story began in Beaufort, South Carolina, where Emily Lee worked at a coffee shop while she was searching for an interior design position.
Zach Lee then came along and bought the coffee shop she was working at. After owning that coffee shop for around six years, they decided it was time to move somewhere with more opportunities for their children. The Greenville area provides a perfect place for family fun, outdoor activities, and a great place for prospective businesses.
What sets Joybird apart from other local coffee shops is the food. The Lee’s spend many late nights at the shop, cooking and baking to make sure everything is just right for their customers for the next day.
Zach Lee said there are four core elements to consider when opening a shop. Those being: parking, a drive thru, good food and great hospitality.
If there is not adequate parking, are people going to come? Is there quick and easy access through a drive thru to their services? Are you providing both quality food and coffee? Are you loving the community and serving them well?
In seeking to share their passions with the community, Zach Lee commented that they want to, “Find a way to get people to care about us.” These goals help Joybird stand apart from all the other local coffee shops as they are striving for this level of excellence.
They want to be more than just a coffee shop. They want their customers to love them for more than just their coffee. All coffee shops say they have “the best coffee,” but do they have great food? Do they have great service and hospitality?
That is what they believe sets Joybird at a higher level than all the other coffee shops you may see. The owners take great pride in the creativity and freedom they have to create great food and a great variety of options.
Joybird barista and social media coordinator Krista DeBiase speaks about the owners’ character, saying that they have provided ways for her to grow in this job. With experience in coffee shops in the past, she has seen Zach and Emily Lee go above and beyond what a typical boss would do in providing different opportunities for her to grow her knowledge and experience.
One of these ways is by promoting her to their social media manager. After learning DeBiase’s major, which is marketing photography, they decided they wanted to work with what she is learning in school and reinforce that with real life experience in that field.
One thing she has learned from their leadership in hospitality is that “you are their regulars just as much as they are yours.” With this in mind, Joybrid owners and employees both strive to convey their hospitality through how they serve the community.
The couple says that the biggest reward of this job is being able to run it as a family. Having the kids around the shop during the day and bringing them into their everyday lives has been a huge reward.
Zach Lee also says that the best thing has been finally getting the permanent location open. Being able to see all the hard work, time and effort fully in effect as they are receiving lots of love from the community has been a fantastic reward for the family.
As their business is growing, they are hoping to pursue greater opportunities through retail and continuing to add to the aesthetic and antique appeal of the shop. Plans for inventory are in place and they are happily creating new andexciting foods, coffees and experiences for their community to continue to discover.
