is pwir
ome011111, ow
.
One
.....
env aw wir
iw for
111111e
- vir „,,,
ise vir
Iv iw
or
at ay or fw I i iv Iv
ape
we sr me iv ii
NW OW
Ille OW
Ile 1.1 w vir
Detroit Journalism r r drw
COOPERATIVE
Arab Americans increase their
business presence in Detroit
Arab and Chaldean Americans look beyond Detroit bankruptcy to eventual rebound
By Natasha Dado and Banner Hijazi
The Arab American News
D
ETROIT—Population loss, blight and increased crime
rates make it difficult to keep businesses here thriving.
Small Arab and Chaldean owned businesses have man-
aged to stay open over the decades despite these challenges.
Arab Americans define themselves as having roots in one
of the 22 Arabic-speaking countries, including, among others,
Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, and the Gulf countries.
Chaldean Americans find their origins in Iraq, however, as a
result of speaking Aramaic in addition to Arabic, many do not
consider themselves Arabs, while many do. The metro Detroit
area boasts the most concentrated communities of both Arabs
and Chaldeans in the United States, and both groups have sig-
nificant presences in the small business scene in Detroit.
Arab and Chaldean Americans own a majority of the city's
gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets, and they
are expanding their business presence in the wake of Detroit's
bankruptcy.
Several are purchasing vacant buildings and transforming
them into apartment and condo complexes. They are also
renovating houses and renting them out to tenants, while oth-
ers still are continuing to open small family businesses such as
restaurants. It is clear these communities will play a crucial role
in the city's recovery.
"To say that now Arabs and Chaldeans are reinvesting or
coming back into Detroit, they have always been there. There
is no question about it... I do see a new resurgence of the
city, so it is something very positive," said Helal Farhat, a local
Lebanese businessman and Dearborn attorney.
Last year Farhat and a business partner purchased the
Frederick K. Sterns House on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit.
The house is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic
Places.
The 10,000-square-foot building, which features medieval
architecture, was initially built as a house in 1902 for Frederick
K. Sterns and later transformed into office space. Farhat regards
the bankruptcy as an opportunity to "clean up a lot of things" in
the city.
Sam Yono, a Chaldean American businessman, recently pur-
chased a 100,000-square-foot building that he plans on turning
into a condo complex. Yono and his sons own the Rub BBQ Pub
and a Mexican restaurant that was recently expected to open,
along with other businesses in the city.
"Things are getting a lot better. I have faith that eventually
Detroit will be like Atlanta, LA, or Chicago one day, without
question. I encourage diversity among the businesses, so that
means not just the large companies such as Quicken Loans,
but also the small business owners and entrepreneurs as well,"
Yono said.
Randy Yono, who manages the Rub BBQ Pub, is encouraging
investors to disallow negative depictions of the city to discour-
age them from doing business in it.
"Those who are afraid to invest in the city because of its
image are wrong. They need to see it firsthand, they need to
live in it and they need to work in it. We have not had that expe-
rience, and we keep investing," he said.
Lebanese American businessman Moussa Bazzi and his
Helal Farhat and a business partner purchased the 10,000-square foot historic Fredrick K. Sterns House on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. It is
an example of the investments those from the Arab-American and Chaldean-American communities continue to make in Detroit.
four brothers have been doing business in the city for almost
30 years. They own four Detroit gas stations, but they have
recently invested in other types of businesses as well.
"I think the Arab and Chaldean community from a small busi-
ness standpoint is the backbone of Detroit... People talk about
a rebirth and that it is happening in Downtown and Midtown.
But the people in Detroit live in the neighborhoods. What is left
today is small business owners who are Arabs and Chaldeans
and the churches. Those are the folks in the neighborhood. If
you take the Middle Eastern community out, there are no small
businesses left," said Auday Arabo, president and CEO of the
Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers.
One of Bazzi's brothers has renovated houses and is renting
them out to tenants. The siblings are also business partners in
an apartment complex.
"We believe in the city," Bazzi said. "What you see in the
media, some of it might be true, but that is not entirely what it
is like. I chose to do business here, and I enjoy it."
Fay Beydoun, the executive director of the American Arab
Chamber of Commerce, says as downtown Detroit continues to
develop with larger companies moving in, Arab American entre-
preneurs have found a place there.
"We do have a presence in downtown, but it is not as notice-
able. We have seen a lot of companies opening up and it is not
necessarily retail or gas stations. More business owners are now
in the IT industry and other kinds of companies," Beydoun said.
Small business owners getting ticketed in wake
of Detroit bankruptcy
Within the last year, Arabo says he has heard complaints from
retailers who are being penalized by the police department in
r
areas the business owners do not control.
"The police department might issue a ticket, but it is a ticket
in regards to something that is not their fault," Arabo said.
"Owners apply for a business license and the city takes months
to even send it back to them. An officer then shows up and
hands them a ticket. Things like that we can't seem to get to
the bottom of."
Some believe the tickets are being issued to generate revenue
for the bankrupt city. The AFPD recently held discussions with
Mayor Duggan about some concerns of small business owners.
Beydoun says the issues need to be addressed in order to
have more profitable and sustainable businesses in Detroit. "We
should work with the mayor, because there are still issues that
exist with security and small policies," she said.
About this series
Five minority media outlets with a combined estimated circulation of
120,000 weekly--Latino Press, The Michigan Citizen, The Jewish News,
The Michigan Korean Weekly, The Arab American News—are part of
New Michigan Media and are taking part in The Detroit Journalism
Cooperative (DJC). Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, Renaissance Journalism's Michigan Reporting Initiative and
the Ford Foundation, the DJC aims to report about and create com-
munity engagement opportunities pertaining to the Detroit bankruptcy
and recovery. Each article in the series appears in all the NMM member
newspapers. This article is from THE ARAB-AMERICAN NEWS. The DJC
is a unique collaboration between important media outlets of the region,
and includes The Center for Michigan's Bridge Magazine, Detroit Public
Television, Michigan Public Radio, WDET and New Michigan Media. The
Detroit Free Press is also participating in the DJC effort.