New University City Coffee House is Latest Example of Alum’s Early Success
Just across North Tryon Street from the University, the new Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. opened in August in the J.W. Clay Parking Deck.
The shop’s design is the work of A.B. Group, the Charlotte-based architecture, interior design, and building engineering firm that alumnus Alaa Bou Ghanem ’18, ’20 founded right out of school. Five years later, A.B. Group has an office on East Boulevard and 12 staff – including three more UNC Charlotte graduates – with some 65 current projects in Charlotte, Charleston, S.C., and Austin, Texas. And last year, Bou Ghanem launched a new venture: the real estate investment firm Cribia Capital, which specializes in residential real estate development, apartment communities, and income-producing commercial mixed-use properties.
Born and raised in the small town of Ramlieh, Lebanon, Bou Ghanem immigrated to the United States at age 17 and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, the year he received a B.A. in Architecture from UNC Charlotte.
“In the beginning, what drew me to design was not the architecture in particular, but instead, the sense of community it creates,” Bou Ghanem said. “When joining the School of Architecture, I had no idea what to expect, but then I slowly began to see that what was being taught was not solid facts to be retained. Instead, we were being taught a way of thinking.”
As one of the first students at UNC Charlotte to enter the accelerated Integrated Path to Architecture Licensure (IPAL) program, he interned at Little Diversified while in school and was able to earn professional licensure concurrently with his Master of Architecture in 2020. He was 25 years old.
“When the first IPAL program came out, it was this brand new thing that no one knew about, and I felt like I had the opportunity to pave the road,” he said.
Bou Ghanem likened the intensity of the IPAL program to a funnel: When he came through it, he was a different person and had developed the perseverance that starting a new business would demand.
He started A.B. Group with a stack of business cards and pamphlets, and for three hours every afternoon, he beat the pavement, attaching pamphlets to doors in areas of high construction, like Charlotte’s SouthEnd. It took more than six months, but finally clients began to call.
The work of A.B. Group ranges from designing luxury single family homes, office suites and sushi restaurants, to renovating the HVAC systems at Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center. A notable current project is a Habitat for Humanity mixed-income townhome development in northeast Charlotte, for which A.B. Group is providing both architecture and engineering services. The development will include affordable housing townhome units and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Qamaria Charlotte is Bou Ghanem’s second coffee shop. Haraz Coffee House, a Yemeni coffee shop and bakery designed by A.B. Group, opened on Central Avenue in 2024.
Qamaria’s vibe is a blend of clean cosmopolitan modernism and culturally specific flourishes, like the colorful mural of a beautifully scarved Yemeni woman that brightens a back wall. Master of Urban Design alumna Sol Cabero ’22, who joined A.B. Group after graduating, was the lead designer.
Emad Rifai, one of the shop’s owner’s, said that working with A.B. Group was “a seamless and rewarding experience.”
“We are extremely pleased with the design and architecture work that Alaa and his team delivered for Qamaria Yemeni Coffee in Charlotte. From the very beginning, Alaa took the time to truly understand our vision, carefully incorporating the rich cultural elements of Yemeni tradition into the design while balancing them with modern, inviting touches. The result is a space that not only reflects the heritage of our coffee but also creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere for our guests.”