Business & Tech

Business Briefs: Biggby Coffee Celebrates 17th Birthday Thursday with 99 Cent Drinks

Also going on in the Birmingham business community, an eco-friendly furniture store moves into East Maple and Chen Chow offers fashionable sushi roll for charity.

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

Biggby celebrates 17 years Thursday

, which has a store in downtown Birmingham, is celebrating its 17th birthday Thursday with special reward: any tall, hot or iced, sweet orcreamy latte for 99 cents.

Coupons for the 99 cent drinks will be sent through e-wards, Biggby's free, weekly email coupon program. To sign up, visit www.e-wards.com.

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"We love celebrating our birthday by honoring our customers and thanking them for their loyalty and support over the years," said Bob Fish, CEO and co-founder of Biggby. "Some of them have been with us since the beginning and we want to say thank you, as well as welcome those who have just recently discovered Biggby.

Biggby opened its first location in East Lansing in 1995. Now the company has more than 140 stores open or under contract in seven states. In 2011, Biggby was named the fastest-growing coffee chain in the United States by CNBC, a top 30 food franchise in Franchise Business Review and ranked 268th on Entrepreneur Magazine's top 500 franchise report.

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"Along with our customers, our success has come from the incredible franchise family we have built along the way and this birthday celebration highlights for all the great work they do," Fish said. "As we enter our 18th year of business we raise our coffee cups to them and look forward to fun, excitement and continued success the next 18 years will bring."

Modern furniture store opens on East Maple

Mobili Now, an eco-friendly furniture store, opened at the beginning of the month at 746 E. Maple Rd.

Co-owner Christopher Bahoora told Downtown Publications that the store will source furniture from eco-friendly furniture companies as well as local artists and furniture designers.

Bahoora, a Bloomfield Hills native and Brother Rice alumnus, owns the store alongside Brent Sheena, Arash Ansari and Bahoora's mother Nida Sheena, who owns Birmingham's furniture at 225 S. Old Woodward Ave.

Chen Chow offers fashion-themed sushi rolls

In honor of Fashion in Detroit, co-hosted by Birmingham businesswoman Denise Illitch, is offering a special Runway Roll throughout the month of March, with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Detroit and Ann Arbor.

The sushi roll is part of Chen Chow's celebrity sushi program.

"We are thrilled to be a part of such a great program," Illitch said. "Not only is this another way for us to further the good work of Ronald McDonald House Charities but it's the perfect way to kick off Fashion in Detroit."

The Runway Roll is made of tiger shrimp tempura, cream cheese, carrot and fresh English cucumber wrapped in orange-colored paprika soy paper, garnished with eel sauce, scallion and tempura flakes.

"I drew some inspiration from the neon colors that (I hear) are hot this spring and we'll plate it in the image of a catwalk with a few twists like edible glitter, that help ensure it lives us to the name," said Chen Chow's executive chef Ezra Bertakis.

At the end of March, Illitch and her Fashion in Detroit co-host Joe Faris will offer either a piece of handcrafted jewelry from or a pair of custom-designed denim from Faris' newest line, Motor City Blues, to one donor who offers to match the total amount raised from sales of the Runway Roll.

Upcoming events

  • : 8-9:30 a.m. Wednesday, English Gardens, 4901 Coolidge Hwy. in Royal Oak
  • Healthcare Forecast breakfast: 7:30-9:30 a.m. Thursday, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital atrium, 6777 W. Maple Rd. in West Bloomfield
  • Happy Dino ribbon cutting: 4-5 p.m. March 26,
  • grand opening: 4-5 p.m. March 26
  • Member Coffee: 8-9 a.m. March 29, Bloomfield Hills School Gary M. Doyle Center, 7275 Wing Lake Rd. in Bloomfield Hills
  • Dental Radiance ribbon cutting: 4-5 p.m. April 4, 800 Adams Rd. (Suite 105)
  • Economic Forecast lunch: 11:30-1:30 p.m. April 12,
  • Avis grand reopening: 4-5 p.m. April 25


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