Business Briefs: Azar's Celebrates 20th Anniversary and More

Here's a snapshot of what's going on in the Birmingham business community this week:

Birmingham rug shop marks 20 years

is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The rug shop, which specializes in selling, cleaning and repairing oriental rugs, is located at 670 S. Old Woodward and owner Azar Alizadeh told Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield she's grateful for his loyal customers over the years.

"It's nice to have customers who appreciate (our rugs) and beautify their homes with them," she said.

Azar's Oriental Rugs has won the National Rug Retailer of the Year award from America's Mart. Many of the rugs sold at Azar's are exclusive to their showrooms though you can also make custom orders.

Schakolad to offer brewed 'Choffy' drink

Have you ever wanted to ditch coffee but love those sweet mocha drinks too much? is now offering just the product for you: Choffy.

Choffy is roasted, ground and brewed cocoa beans, resulting in a drink that tastes like chocolate without the caffeine. Choffy has no sugar, gluten, dairy or chemicals.

Schakolad is one of the first distributors of Choffy in Michigan.

"Many coffee fans consider Choffy a robust alternative to coffee that they can drink all day and not be up at night," said Doug Cale, owner of Schakolad, who says he drinks Choffy before and after exercising.

"We are finding creative uses for ground Choffy beans in smoothies, biscotti, and other treats in our Birmingham chocolateria," Cale said. "It is such a versatile and health-promoting ingredient."

To purchase Choffy, you can visit Schakolad or visit www.drinkchoffy.com/bhamchoc.

Equilibrium Pilates Studio opens Franklin location

The Bloomfield Hills-based Equilibrium Pilates Studio opened a second location in the Franklin Athletic Club this month and to celebrate, they're looking to give back to Shades of Pink.

Shades of Pink, organized by area residents Pamela Benitez and Suzanne Krueger, provides financial support to women undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

While Equilibrium Pilates Studio has been a longtime support of Susan Komen and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the studio will now be solely supporting Shades of Pink through their various fundraising activities.

Upcoming Events:

• Ribbon-cutting: 4-5 p.m. June 28, Fresh & Clean Dry Cleaners (17620 W. 13 Mile Rd., Beverly Hills)
• Member Coffee: 8-9 a.m. June 28,
• Ribbon-cutting: 4-5 p.m. July 11, Touch of India (297 E. Maple Rd.)
• Member Golf Outing: July 16, Plum Hollow Country Club

Correction: Azar Alizadeh was incorrectly identified as a man in a previous version of this story.