Driving down Holbrook Avenue in Hamtramck you can’t miss Kitab Cafe. The coffeeshop’s facade – a blend of rustic wood paneling and black industrial accents – stands out amid the sepia tones of its surroundings.
“We wanted the place to be as warm and comforting as possible from the inside. And then from the outside, we really wanted it to essentially pop,” said Ahmed Alwhysee, co-owner of Kitab Cafe.
Kitab offers a menu of beverages from the Philadelphia-based coffee company La Colombe and a selection of pastries delivered daily from Ann Arbor’s own Zingerman’s. But Kitab is more than just a coffee shop. It’s also a community event space and a bookstore, offering a curation of nonfiction, self-help, and children’s books.
Ahmed Alwhysee, who co-owns the cafe with his wife Asma Almulaiki, said that growing up in Hamtramck, they didn’t have a lot of places to hang out. Kitab is their solution.
“The whole concept was to be a community space and in an area where folks gather,” Alwhysee said.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing. Last month they hosted a discussion facilitated by Listen to Michigan, a campaign that organized voters to vote “uncommitted” during the Michigan primaries. They’ve also held art builds and film screenings open to the public.
Alwhysee and Almulaiki draw inspiration from their hometown of Hamtramck.
“Hamtramck is diverse. You've got immigrants, you know, from Yemen, from Bangladesh, from Bosnia, from Ukraine. And then you've got, you know, white folks that are coming in from Detroit and from the suburbs, and you've got Black folks,” Alwhysee reflected. “We wanted this place to be super welcoming to everybody in Hamtramck.”
This sense of welcome is built into the DNA of Kitab. Alwhysee said that everything they do – from their hiring practices to the products they feature – is done with intention. And now, they’re expanding their reach. In February of this year, Alwhysee and Almulaiki opened up a second location in Midtown, Detroit.
He said it’s been a lot of fun – a lot of work, as well. But overall, he’s grateful for all of the community support keeping them busy.
To hear the full conversation with Ahmed Alwhysee, listen to the Stateside podcast.
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