Miss Lizzie's Coffee opened in Fall River, Massachusetts, on August 4, 2023, the anniversary of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Founded by Joe Pereira, the business combined a neighborhood coffee shop with a theme inspired by the city's most famous historical mystery. Its original location at 242 Second Street stood beside the house where the Borden murders occurred in 1892. Although its name and decorations celebrated the surrounding history, the coffee shop operated independently of the neighboring attraction.

The original coffee shop property had a tragic Borden family connection of its own. It had been the home of Lawdwick Borden, a relative of Andrew Borden, and his wife, Eliza Darling Borden. In May 1848, Eliza drowned their two youngest children, Eliza Ann and Holder, in a cellar cistern before taking her life. An older daughter survived. This tragedy occurred forty-four years before the murders that made Lizzie Borden internationally known.

Inside the cafe, the Lizzie Borden theme appeared through artwork, decorations, and specialty drink names. Early offerings included the Maplecroft, named for the home Lizzie and her sister Emma purchased after Lizzie's acquittal, and the Alibi, a pear-flavored drink recalling Lizzie's account of eating pears near the time of the murders. These touches made the business a gathering place for visitors interested in the Borden case as well as customers simply seeking coffee and food.

The cafe also attracted artists, history enthusiasts, and notable visitors. In 2024, Simon Gallup, bassist for the British band The Cure, visited with family and spent time discussing local history and ghost stories. Local artwork contributed to the shop's atmosphere, including a large portrait of Lizzie created by Fall River native William Silvia. These connections helped give the cafe an identity rooted in the city's creative community alongside its historical theme.

In June 2026, Miss Lizzie's Coffee announced that it was leaving Second Street and moving into the former Abbey Grill at 100 Rock Street. Its new setting occupies the historic Central Congregational Church, another building connected with Lizzie Borden, who taught Sunday school there. The relocation created two distinct chapters in the business's history, beginning beside the Borden murder house and continuing within a former church associated with Lizzie's religious life.

The former Central Congregational Church in Fall River, now home to Miss Lizzie's Coffee, has a paranormal reputation connected to its association with Lizzie Borden. Long before the coffee shop moved into the building, the church attracted investigators interested in whether Lizzie might return to a place that had been important during her lifetime. She attended services and taught Sunday school here, giving the building a personal connection to her life beyond the murder case.

One of the best known investigations took place during the filming of the Fall River episode of Haunted Towns in 2017. The Tennessee Wraith Chasers explored the church as part of their investigation into locations associated with Lizzie. Their efforts centered on the possibility of communicating with her spirit within the building where she once worshipped and participated in church activities.

During the church investigation, team members Doogie and Brannon entered an area described as a changing room. Brannon reportedly asked an unseen presence to touch their meter, and the device activated afterward. The timing made the response a point of interest during the investigation. However, the activation did not establish the identity of any presence or demonstrate that the cause was paranormal.

The idea that Lizzie might haunt the church rests largely on her emotional and historical connection to the property. Within the folklore surrounding haunted places, spirits are often believed to revisit familiar settings from their lives. That interpretation has encouraged attempts to contact Lizzie here, although there is no clearly established account identifying a recognizable apparition of her inside the church.

Other stories associated with the former Abbey Grill describe shadowy figures, unexplained noises, and an uneasy presence in the basement. These accounts remain poorly substantiated and lack detailed witness descriptions that would allow individual incidents to be evaluated. They are best treated as unconfirmed folklore rather than established patterns of activity.

The arrival of Miss Lizzie's Coffee adds another chapter to the building's association with the Borden story, but its paranormal history should remain separate from that of the cafe's former Second Street location. The tragedy involving Eliza Darling Borden and her children occurred at the original property. At the church, the strongest specific paranormal account remains the reported meter response during the televised investigation, while claims of Lizzie's presence continue as an intriguing possibility within the building's folklore.