Ameneh Marhaba’s journey, from Liberia to Lebanon to Detroit, is woven into every dish on the menu at Little Liberia, her new full-service restaurant on East Warren. What began in 2016 as a pop-up she carried quietly for years is now a permanent home on one of Detroit’s emerging business corridors. Little Liberia’s menu is whole red snapper, roasted goat, groundnut stew, and a hospitality that Marhaba describes as comfort, survival, and storytelling all at once.
It took four years from business plan to ribbon cutting. Along the way, Marhaba built her foundation through Detroit’s small business ecosystem: she graduated from ProsperUs Detroit’s Entrepreneur Training Program in 2021, won the $100,000 grand prize at the 2022 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, and secured an additional $80,000 grant through Motor City Match to fund construction and build-out inside The Ribbon, a new mixed-use development on East Warren.
One of the biggest asks from the East Warren community was to bring a place to gather, celebrate, and feel proud of. Little Liberia delivered.
Invest Detroit supported Marhaba’s path to opening alongside Motor City Match, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, and partners across Detroit’s small business ecosystem. “Ameneh exemplifies what vision, perseverance, and preparation truly look like,” said Derek Edwards, SVP of Lending at Invest Detroit. “She’s exactly the kind of founder this ecosystem was built to support.”
Project Name: Little Liberia
Borrower Name: Ameneh Marhaba
Project Location: Detroit, MI (East English Village) — 16530 E Warren Ave Unit A
Project Type: Small Business / Restaurant
Project Partners: Motor City Match, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, HATCH Detroit
Jobs: 17
Size: 3,000 square feet
Technical Assistance: 22.5 hours
Capital: Small Business
Visit Little Liberia: www.littleliberia.com