Biggy, located at 3389 Greenfield Road in Dearborn.

DEARBORN – Although it’s only been open for a month, the Biggby Coffee shop on Greenfield Road, near Rotunda Drive, already has patrons feeling a sense of community when they walk through the door. 

That atmosphere is led by owner Killoud Dabaja, 35, a lifelong Dearborn resident who greets every customer with a welcome and a smile. 

“The support from my family and the community has been unbelievable and overwhelming,” Dabaja said. “Family and friends just walk in to say hi sometimes.  I’m here 15 hours a day and stuff like that makes me so happy and it makes me want to work harder.”

The Lansing-based Biggby Coffee is a privately owned franchise founded in 1995. It has more than 170 locations across the country. In 2013, Dabaja and her family formed a solid partnership with the company. The family opened its first Biggby location in Dearborn Heights, a store run by Dabaja’s brother, Maher.

Dabaja, who attended Dearborn High School and graduated from Wayne State University with a communications degree, said she was looking to open a business in Dearborn that would be of interest to the community. Prior to Biggby, she had a business background as the owner of a bookstore in Livonia.

Dabaja said she and her family were looking to invest in a company that would work with the community’s needs. They wanted to run a business with a pork free menu and one that would potentially provide halal alternatives to other items.

Now, the two locations run by the Dabaja family are the only stores in the country that offer both halal turkey and halal roast beef. 

“Biggby coffee was the only one willing to work with us when it came to not serving pork,” Dabaja said. “Other franchises refused to work with the community. As a family, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing we were serving pork on the menu.” 

Dabaja, an avid coffee drinker, said she was introduced to Biggby by her brother, Ali, and sister, Kenwah, who lived in East Lansing while they attended college. They would constantly rave about the quality of Biggby’s products, until she decided she had to try it herself. Four years later, she said she hasn’t gone a day without drinking her favorite item on the menu, the “Biggby Best.”

Even in a flooded market of coffee chains, Dabaja said Biggby has earned a positive reputation among coffee drinkers. The company roasts its beans on a weekly basis and transfers them to its hub in Lansing, before they are shipped out to the Michigan locations.

Dabaja’s shop opened directly across the street from a well-frequented Tim Hortons location, but she said her store isn’t in direct competition with the coffee giant. Biggby offers a wide selection of drinks and sandwiches, including frozen smoothies, tea lattes and energy drinks.

“I really respect the people at Tim Hortons,” she said. “I don’t believe I will affect their business. They have their clientele and we have ours. Its a different cup of coffee…I don’t see it as competition.” 

Dabaja has spent her days and nights dedicating her focus on operating the newly opened location. Just like all the staffers at Biggby, Dabaja operates the cash register, takes out the garbage and cleans the lobby.

The majority of the staff are also Dearborn residents. All those factors have contributed to the location’s “homey” atmosphere. 

Dabaja is also determined to dispel a possible perception that her father bought her the store and she was placed in there to run it. She and her father are equal investors in the location and they are already in talks with the city of Dearborn to open another store on the east end. 

She noted that her family’s backing, along with community support, has motivated her to work harder at expanding the business and maintaining the current location’s reputation. She hopes to be a role model for other young Muslim women in the community who may be looking to start their own business. 

“People are surprised that a Muslim woman is running the place and they are usually so positive about it,” Dabaja said.  “It’s fitting, because a part of Biggby culture is to love people. They see that I’m educated, articulate and I’m running a clean honest business in Dearborn. I feel like my life has a purpose. I’m serving a smile with every cup of coffee.”

Located at 3389 Greenfield Road, Biggby operates from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Monday-Sunday.