detroitmak Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Well i have decided to shed some light on Dearborn hookah life... Dearborn for those that do not know, is a suburb of Detroit with a large middle eastern population. 1 out of 3 Dearborn residents identify as Arab. Driving down Warren Avenue (Shared with Dearborn and Detroit) I can easily count 15 hookah lounges/cafes, 5 retail stores that only sell hookah and an additional 10 restaurants promoting hookah (and thats just one 8 mile stretch of a road). Hookah delivery is now quite popular in the area. Call the delivery service, request your flavor, hookah, coals, they deliver, pay them with a deposit, leave the hookah on your porch and 2 hours (or whatever you requested later) they will come and pick up the hookah off your porch and return your deposit. Shisha brands that i have never heard of just pop up, made and distributed in Dearborn, never really see the light of day on the internet.This is just a lil of the hookah crazyness that has taken over Dearborn. So this weekend, i plan on taking a my Olympus 1010 and shooting up a few pics of the area, and how hookah is a part of regular life. I plan on taking some pics of the hookah lounges, and then going into my favorite hookah store that seems to also be the distributor for most of the area. Al-Amir. Any other places outside of the middle east like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giant Ninja Robot Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 hey there, im in Royal Oak and make the trek out to Dearborn whenever I need supplies. I LOVE Al Amir, great guys, great prices, nice selection. That shop just past Shaefer on the same side has coconaras now for a good price.Any other shops you know of that are worth checking out? I'd love to see some new stuff, those are the only ones I've been to.also, link to a thread I made about Dearborn http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=29214 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingsMaster Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 that delievery sounds amazing lol i wish i had something like this around me, here in OK and TX it just doesnt seem to be as popular as in other places around the country. especially OK its like i smoke and noone around here has heard of it, i dont have a single hookah bar in stillwater and the only place that carries anything is a head shop, grrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fcbayern Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Damn I wish I lived a little closer to Michigan.. I could visit my firends GNR and Tati Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroitmak Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 QUOTE (giant ninja robot @ Aug 25 2009, 12:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>hey there, im in Royal Oak and make the trek out to Dearborn whenever I need supplies. I LOVE Al Amir, great guys, great prices, nice selection. That shop just past Shaefer on the same side has coconaras now for a good price.Any other shops you know of that are worth checking out? I'd love to see some new stuff, those are the only ones I've been to.also, link to a thread I made about Dearborn http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=29214Yeah, i noticed there are a couple dearborn threads, but dude, words cannot describe hookah or as many will say Argieleh life in Dearborn. I think the craziest thing is when we rented an Argieleh for 2 hours that was 3 feet tall for $15 with Al Waha Orange Cream... it was great.Yeah i go to that shop just past Schafer, its after shatila, their bulk is good, I think its $30 a kilo. Al Amir is still cheaper and better. The dollar store on warren (Dollar Kingdom) sells shisha 30-40% off but buys the stuff when theres only 90-120 days before it expires. If your gonna smoke it in a few months, its worth the savings.Also you can haggle with Al Amir, i got Al Fakher once for $8/250g but i was also buying 20 18" hookahs for $15 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giant Ninja Robot Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Nice man, yeah it is hard to describe. It's just so nice to be in a place that understands and loves the narghile like we do, perhaps even more so.Yeah Al Amir will haggle for sure, I went one day and was told a large AF solid would be 100 bucks, good price, then went back a month later and when I brought some knowledge and friendly discussion to the table (and new business from a friend) they sold it to me for 85.I'll definately check out that dollar store next time I'm out there.Also I think we're talking different places, the place by Schafer I'm thinking of is called "Hookah Land" or something similar. Hookah is definately in the title, they are higher priced than Al Amir but they have a better pipe selection for the most part (lots of KMs and Myas) and sell better hoses and coals. I have noticed though that Al-Amir's coal selection changes all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyj316 Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 *sigh*Makes me miss MI... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srawas89 Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Man I love Al-Amir as well. What is funny though is when my parents went up I told them about the shop and it turns out they used to go there all the time for their argeleh's, shisha and coals lol. They got me a good deal on some nakhla. got 750g for $15. I love to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcane Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 hmmm..maybe i can save me a trip to Egypt and just go to Dearborn...hahaha! how is their KM scene? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srawas89 Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Arcane...Go to Egypt you could expand your hookah collection ten-fold at a much cheaper price. From what I have seen there are not a whole lot of KM's from what I remember but GNR could probably give a better idea of that. If you want the best tobacco ever fly over to Jordan or Saudi Arabia if you make a trip to Egypt. From what my friends have told me...the best tobacco period. Although those plane tickets can get very pricey so lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoapplesplease Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Wow looks like I made the right choice in moving from wyoming to michigan.To bad I'm hours away from dearborn still.If any of you's take a vacation north to indian river let me know I'd be glad to met you's for a smoke down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon` Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Yea I live in Novi, Michigan. I love the days I go up to Dearborn to get some tobacco and what not. The best is that I can't look in 1 spot without seeing a Hookah bar/store. Dearborn is amazing. I love when I go to work right off Schafer Highway at Capital Foods, My liquer store, I just head down Schafer and theres Dearborn. The best is how they don't even like to make a profit. They sell everything at almost cost. The place is amazing. Michigan for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanBeccaccio Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I live in Canton, and although I can't really say I've been in the Dearborn hookah scene much, the hookah bar here (Off the Hookah) Deals directly with the Al-Amir Trading company. (They have a distribution center in Dearborn, for those who don't know) And Seeing as I'm a regular they'll pick stuff up special for me if they don't carry it themselves at the bar and pretty much always sell to me at cost. I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroitmak Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 alright... i have a 124 pictures to upload.... let me figure this out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroitmak Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 (edited) QUOTE (detroitmak @ Aug 30 2009, 09:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>alright... i have a 124 pictures to upload.... let me figure this out! Edited August 31, 2009 by detroitmak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroitmak Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Check out all the pics here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/14778205@N06/...57622067032649/Wish i could upload them here.. but this is the best i can do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SloppyJoe Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I have to get my ass to dearborn soon. I want to buy some coco's locally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroitmak Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 So i thought i would give you a quick run through of what i had done... first i started at greenfield, a crossroad of warren ave where most of the action is. I went to a seven eleven to get some cash and thought it truly was convenience that you could buy shisha anytime at the local 7-11 for fair prices.. $10 for al fakher!Then went to a kitchen ware store which sold some nice hookahs, for cheap prices... 36" for $30 after discount... case for $5.. etc...Then we made our way to the start of warrendale @ Southfield/Warren (Detroit Part of Warren Ave.)First place we spotted was hookah land that delivers. Hookahland.net for wholesale questions. Decent store, cheap prices for 360 tobacco ($9), which i have found 360 to be the best seller in dearborn. This place also sells all Al Fakher Coals, Coconut, quick lite, etc... Great Wholesale deals, including $5 for 12" hookahs.Next we went to Al Amir, down at Warren/Greenfield, start of Dearborn Warren Ave. Great place... does wholesale, but does not really sell wholesale prices to public unless you haggle... These guys are the creators and importers of 360 Tobacco, which is seen everywhere in Dearborn. The Store is tiny, but wow... sure packs a lot. http://www.alamirusa.com/ is under construction, however the guy said, if you know what you want, he will cut you a deal and ship, give them a ring. Retail they sell Al Fakher $11, Nakhla $6, 360 $12 (2/$20) Also their own stuff for $25-$30 a Kilo. Arabica $10, which is definitely an Al Fakher Rip off is also an Al Amir Product, i think they are discontinuing it for 360. Check out the pics...Next door was a small place that had some great prices for hookahs.Next, a couple hookah bars, Sinbads and Arabica, Sinbads offers free argyleh with your meal purchase m-f. Most hookah bars arnt listed as such. Argieleh is the preferred word in dearborn. Mouassel is preferred over Shisha, as Shisha is another word for Hookah.Then we went into Mercy Market, another store with a hookah aisle... There hookahs wernt anything to write home about but their tobacco was priced to sell. 50gram Al Amir only $1.50, 250g box $4, 250g jar $8 (made no sense to me). The also sold another brand i never heard of Alarzi.Hookah Town is like another Al Amir, has a different clientele, wasn't really impressed with their knowledge... See pics.. Prices are eh...Gooza's are pretty popular @ hookah town and all over for that matter, im not really a fan, anyone here?Next on my list is Smokers Argeleh. This place is the only place in dearborn i have found to sell Coconara. Other then that, some great prices on hookahs, though, omg this is knockoff palooza. Al-Asfahani is made by them and is said to be distributed by Al-Fakher USA... BS as we all know it. I think its a discontinued brand they are trying to get rid of. No expiration dates is a hint. However i have smoked Al-Asfahani Cool blue before, it was pretty good. Anyways, then they have this Poof Poof shit, that is individual ready to go packs, which i find to be a rip off and waste of time. Al Waha cartons were legit and $5 each? I think it was expired tho... In addition they do sell legis Al Fakher products, $8/250g $10 for golden. They sell their own shit for $20-25 a kilo.Next we visit Dollar Kingdom, which is a dollar store with Hookahs... odd i know... decent prices on accessories and coal, i would visit elsewhere for actual hookahs and knowledge. Couple of Lounges, like Skyy and 360 are also pictured. But the final major place for hookahs we found was Smokers World...Huge selection, they sell everything it feels like... Starrbuzz, al amir, 360, Al Fakher, Al Waha, list goes on.. prices a bit high.. they sell their own shit for $25 a kilo.That sums up the major places, now if i was to stop at every gas station, liquor store, gift shop that sold hookah, id have about 30 more stops... Restaurants that did hookah, another 10 more stops... if i did the cross roads, another 20 more stops. Ford and Michigan Ave... another 20 more stops... get the picture?There is only one place i forgot to hit which was Joe & Eds, next time im there, ill take some pics.Hope you guys have a better taste for dearborn now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Thought the hookah in one of the pics with an Evil Eye in the middle of the stem, like a pear, was pretty cool looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisted Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I wish there was at least one store around here that sold anything hookah related. There is one place, but its mainly NHT stuff and I don't want that crap so i don't consider it to carry hookah related items. It would be awesome to go to a 7eleven at like 2 am to get some tobacco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giant Ninja Robot Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Nice man, I see a few spots I go to and a few I haven't seen before Thanks for the visual so I know what to look for next time I'm out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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