Mahmoud Rico has been serving hookahs at his East Village tobacco shop for more than a decade. But now that Mayor Bloomberg has banned smoking in bars, Rico says he might have to shut down for good.

When I sat down with Shisha Cafe co-owner Farah Al-Shalchi and her daughter, Mariam Alobaidi, I'll admit, I didn't know much about their family business beyond what I could find online. I visited the ...