Canton’s newest coffee shop brewing positive community vibes
Kenz Coffee Shop’s co-owner Abdulnaser Alnajjar has made it a point to connect with the community during the business’s first few months of operation.
Waves of sunshine streamed through the front window of Kenz Coffee Shop on a recent not-a-cloud-in-the-sky Saturday afternoon, adding to the inviting warmth Canton’s newest coffee shop offers even on not-so-perfect weather days.
As people relaxed inside the eloquently-decorated two-month-old business — sipping Kenz’ amazing organic Yemeni coffee, nibbling on freshly-made pastries and enjoying mellow conversation with friends — co-owner Abdulnaser Alnajjar mingled with customers, making sure their experience was pleasant and memorable.
What makes Kenz special is that Alnajjar and business partner Moshtak Alamri are making it a point to reach out to community organizations, providing complimentary beverages to help them grow their footprint throughout the township and beyond.
“When we chose to open our first Kenz location in Canton, we knew we were moving into a tough market,” said Alnajjar, who is a widely-respected engineer at ZF Automotive in Livonia during the weekdays.
“We knew we were going to have to work extra hard to increase our presence in the community. So far, the feedback we have received has been great. The community has really embraced us.”
Hustling to grow brand
Once they opened earlier this fall, Alnajjar and Alamri reached out to local churches and mosques, offering to provide their high-quality beverages to the congregations’ receptions and gatherings.
They also connected with several community athletic programs — Canton High School football and boys soccer, to name two — in an effort to increase their brand’s visibility.
In summation, Kenz’ owners aren’t sitting around waiting for residents to discover them; they’re taking the Marketing 101 approach of utilizing old-fashioned hustle to grow their brand.
“For instance, we provided two large containers of hot chocolate to the Salem soccer team for one of their games,” Alnajjar said. “We know how important it is to give back to the community. We want to create a culture of giving … and let people know we’re here for them.”
Stylish space
In the months leading up to Kenz opening, the co-owners worked tirelessly toe convert a former physical therapy business at 42456 Cherry Hill Road into a stylish space for people to relax and enjoy a variety of coffee products, the beans of which were shipped from Yemen, the birthplace of coffee.
“We took a lot of care in selecting the flooring, the fixtures and the layout … it was a total overhaul,” Alnajjar said, smiling. “We have different lighting fixtures throughout the interior of our shop, but the differences are subtle and inviting, not too busy.
“Serving coffee from Yemen is more expensive than using coffee beans from elsewhere, but we price our products so that our customers don’t pay extra. The prices you see on our menu are firm, too — the prices include the sales tax. It’s just one more way we can earn the trust of our customers.”
Meaning of Kenz
The name Kenz translates to mean treasure in the Arabic language, Alnajjar explained.
“We want to grow into a treasure of the community,” he added. “You’ll see me asking customers about their experience, how everything tastes. And I want to get honest answers.
“If someone’s coffee is too strong or too weak, we want to know because we’ll brew them another cup on the spot if it’s not to their liking. That’s the only way we’re going to improve our product.”
One reason Kenz’ owners chose to open their flagship business in Canton was because of the township’s diversity, Alnajjar asserted.
“We have met so many amazing people from different cultures already,” he said. “One comment we’ve heard from several people is that they love our consistency of quality. That’s important to us because we know there are so many other options they can visit to purchase their coffee.”
Not time to rest
While the first few months have gone as smoothly as the taste of a perfectly-brewed cup of coffee, Kenz’ owners aren’t about to rest on their new-business laurels.
“We’re in this for the long term; we know it’s not going to be an overnight success — few businesses are,” Alnajjar said.
“We’ll continue to connect with local groups and athletic programs to offer our products and see what we can do to enhance the community. We’re not getting a lot of sleep these days, but we know it will be worth it.”
Kenz offers vegetarian, decaffeinated and non-dairy options. Its variety of pastries are baked fresh every morning.
Kenz is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturday; and 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
