Detroit’s Motor City Match program announced Wednesday that it is giving cash grants to 32 other businesses in the city.
Round 21 winning small businesses will receive funding from a pool of $1.3 million. There are 17 new companies that will receive grants from a pool of $965,000. The other $341,000 in cash grants will go to 15 existing businesses through the program’s restoration pathway, which is funded by the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act that was intended to provide COVID-19 relief.
The 17 new companies represent 15 different Detroit neighborhoods across seven council districts.
Tracy Reese, the founder and creative director of Hope for Flowers, received a $55,000 grant. Her sustainable fashion business is located at the Franklin Wright Settlements YouthVille Center, but will be moving to a new space at 119 Garfield Ave. in Detroit. The company organizes courses and workshops for young people and adults. Reese hopes the new space will have more room for people to attend classes, which she says are usually overflowing.
“We’re excited to be able to move into our own flagship and really expand our programming and the development of our collections,” Reese said. She aims to open the new space by mid-April.
The city’s program supports small businesses in six ways: plan, develop, design, restore, sell a building or receive cash.
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The program decided in its 21st cycle to offer matching funds to existing businesses.
“We saw during the pandemic that we had a lot of Detroit legacy businesses that held up,” said Drew Lucco, director of Motor City Match. “They’ve changed the way they do things to make sure they survive in their neighborhoods. And while some of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the effects aren’t over for most business owners. So we heard loud and clear from our businesses in the neighborhoods that they needed help.”
So far, the city said its program has helped 143 small businesses open their physical spaces.
Here are the new companies and what they will receive:
- Irby Enterprises Company DBA Yoga Balance and Flow Studioa yoga and meditation space to practice physical and mental well-being: $25,000.
- A+Fabrics LLCa store that sells upholstery at a discount: $35,000.
- Boarding House Hospitality-Adelaide’s Superettea general store that sells breakfast tacos: $40,000.
- Our meeting placea community space with café: $40,000.
- The Red Hook, New Center, and the Red Hook, Midtowna café, pastry shop and vinotheque: $45,000.
- SARL Wildemerea bar and grill: $50,000.
- Channel an event locationa space for all occasions: $50,000.
- Youthnicentrepreneurship training center and start-ups: $50,000.
- Hope for L3C Flowersa space for teaching and training in fashion design: $55,000.
- Naturala beauty supply store and a salon: $65,000.
- TT Sip-n-Reada book bar that serves wine and coffee: $65,000.
- Detroit future operationsa workforce development and technical assistance company in construction: $65,000.
- House of African Printsa space that sells traditional Ghanaian beads and fabrics: $70,000.
- Al-Ahmed Halal Processing LLCa Halal butcher and processor for wholesale and retail: $75,000.
- dream domainsan assisted living facility for people with low incomes, seniors and people with different abilities: $75,000.
- Canfield Consortiuma coffee: $75,000.
- Neighborhood grocery storea grocery store in Jefferson-Chalmers: $85,000.
Here are the existing companies and what they have received:
- Omnia Inc. DBA NINE Design+Homesa furniture, art and decoration store: $25,000.
- Good Cookies LLCa bakery and a café: $21,390.
- Good Times on Avenue LLCa restaurant and a bar: $25,000.
- Good cakes and pastriesa bakery: $25,000.
- VMX International LLCa commercial waste management service: $25,000.
- Sherwood Forest Art Gallerya family art gallery: $25,000.
- Dymond Design Beauty Schoola cosmetology school: $25,000.
- Brewery Pheasanta microbrewery and a bar: $25,000.
- The turkey grilla restaurant: $25,000.
- Lush Yummies Pie Company LLCa bakery: $18,000.
- Megan M. Faircloth DDS PLLC/Harbortown Dental Carea dental practice: $25,000.
- The Trap Yoga and Massage Studioa yoga and massage area: $10,750.
- Car wash and celebrity retaila car wash business: $22,000.
- Gigi LLC’s Birdcagean LGBTQ+ nightclub: $25,000.
- Detroit Sound Engineersa recording studio: $19,000.
To learn more, visit the program’s website at motorcitymatch.com.