JUNE 2023

Top: The Chaldean Center building, with “S” and “H” for Sacred Heart. Bottom: The building’s signage has now been stripped.
The new immigrants started businesses
and brought relatives to work
in them, passing down ownership
through their families. By the close of
the 1970s, their stretch of 7 Mile was
dense with dozens of little bakeries,
specialty stores, ethnic restaurants,
and social halls.
Seventy-five percent of the people
who came from the old country didn’t
drive, and the small-town walkability
of their new neighborhood appealed
to them. They could walk to the meat
market and walk to the coffeehouse.
Everything they needed was there.
The Glory Days
The 7 Mile and Woodward neighborhood
has distinct advantages. Centrally
located amid sprawling metro
Detroit, it is a mile south of the Oakland
County border, about a 15-minute
drive from downtown and less than a
mile from new developments on the
site of the old state fairgrounds. Across
Woodward to the west sit the mansions
of Detroit’s historic Palmer Woods district
and some of Detroit’s most desirable
neighborhoods.
In their heyday, landmarks like
Yaldo, Jerry’s and Fatoohi Markets,
Iraqi Bakery, Golden Star Bakery, Beirut
Pastries, Bahi, Faraj Abro’s Firdous
(Paradise), Royal Kabab, Mr. Kabab,
Al-Shimal, Dijla, Sullaf and Mosul
restaurants, and Ramzi Acho’s Great
Lakes Fish and Seafood Wholesale offered
a taste of Iraq here in Michigan.
The famous barber shops of Slewa
Yono, Wadi Barash and Golden Scissors
were great places to get caught
up on the happenings in the neighborhood.
Sadly, all of these establishments
as well as Bashar Salha Spring
Music and Productions, Dr. Shakib
Halabu Dentistry, Dr. Yousif Goriel
clinics, and most auto repair shops
are all closed. Also extinct are the first
medical clinic of Dr. Albert Kuhn- MD
and the first pharmacy of Najah Sitto
(Babylon Pharmacy).
The neighborhood suffered an
economic decline that is severe even
for Detroit. During the sixties through
the late 1990s the area was hard hit by
economic and population losses, to
wealthier suburbs like West Bloomfield,
Southfield, Farmington Hills,
Bloomfield Hills, and Troy. Most of the
Chaldean population and businesses
are now gone. But its glory days live on
in memories.
The Chai-khana
Coffee and tea houses (Chai-khanas)
were a mainstay in Chaldean Town
and the center of entertainment for
years. They were for men who enjoyed
playing cards, billiards, and backgammon
before or after going to the DRC
or Hazel Park racetrack. They were a
place of gathering and played a significant
role in making sure the community
stayed connected, as one close-knit
family, and that clients and visitors felt
like they were at home.
There were no menus at the Chaikhanas;
all the customers knew what
PHOTOS BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
was available. There were few grilled
choices, and the entrées (if any) were
whatever the cook made that day.
Depending on when you were there,
the smoke from the charcoal grill was
thick and the whole scene was a bit
chaotic; it was a personal place, and
that is partly what made it fun.
The first Chai-khana in the area
was opened by Bottani Abro and
Fouad Garmo and was later converted
by Father Yasso to the Chaldean
Church. Another pioneering coffee and
tea house was owned by Salim Malak.
Perhaps the most popular Chai-khana
on the north side of 7 Mile was the
one owned by Jabbouri (Gabriel Rabban)
and Adil Aqrawi. Jabbouri sold it
to Habbi and Akram Kassab, who did
very well and were profitable for years.
Zuhair Shina, Ramzi Zakar, and Emad
Samona owned one on the south side
of 7 Mile Road. It was later sold to Sabah
Siman and Makhou Bashi. At one
time Malak Anan had a Chai-khana,
and Sabah Qadesha (Ayar) opened a
Chai-khana at the site of the famed
Yaldo Market building.
Interestingly, these operations were
incognito, almost clandestine in their
nature, for there were no door signs,
banners, or establishment names on
any of these buildings, just a number.
However, every gambler in the area
knew exactly what they were and what
they offered. People would come late at
night and hang out all day; many establishments
stayed open until 4 in the
morning and were always busy.
The exterior of these operations
was nondescript, the doors, windows
(if any) were foggy, tinted with
tobacco smoke, and covered with a
combination of thick layers of frying
oil. Ventilation being non-existent,
CHALDEAN TOWN
continued on page 22
JUNE 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 21