For 22-Year-Old, His Business is His Passion

From the outside 64 Evergreen Road looks like a typical small strip mall, which can be found with ease in suburban towns like Warminster.

However, inside the simple brick-faced building sits one of Warminster newest nightlife hot spots - Blue Eye Hookah Bar.

The hookah lounge, which opened in November of 2011, is owned and operated by 22-year-old Warminster resident and 2009 graduate Bilal Aledlbi.

What is a hookah: "An oriental tobacco pipe with a long, flexible tube that draws the smoke through water contained in a bowl," according to the Collins Birmingham University International Language Database.

While smoking out of a hookah has been popular in other parts of the world for thousands of years, recently, its popularity has grown in the United States, a recent CNN.com story reported.

The young entrepreneur said he was first introduced to hookah when he was a teenager in the Middle East.

“It’s a Middle Eastern style of relaxation,” he said of the practice, which is often done in large groups. “It’s laidback.”

At Blue Eye, customers, who are charged $10, can sit back with friends on the establishment's couches and choose from one of 25 flavors of tobacco to smoke.

“(Smoking flavored tobacco out of a hookah) tastes good, and it’s something to do that’s fun and not illegal,” customer Jen Kinney, of Feasterville, said.

Blue Eye Hookah Bar, which has a tobacco license, does not serve alcohol. Therefore, anyone of the age of 18 is permitted to enter and smoke.

Now that the hookah lounge, which Bilal calls his "passion," has been open for a few months, business is picking up and Bilal said he is getting to know what his customers want.

In the coming months, he plans to add belly dancers, DJ parties and video game nights. Those would be in addition to the Friday open mic night events and local indie film screenings the bar host.

“I like to support local business; local artist,” Bilal said.

Many of the walls in the bar are covered with detailed, modern murals from Warminster-based artist John Groves.

Often, local musicians and comedians can be found performing as customers sit around the hookahs.

Bilal, who studied biology at Bucks County Community College, said he had an idea to open a hookah bar in the back of his head but, in fall of 2011, he turned thoughts into actions and secured a lease for two storefronts on Evergreen Avenue.

“The landlord worked with me; he gave me advice.”

One thing Bilal said he learned when working to open his business: “You need to be confident.”