9 Detroit businesses get grants to expand efforts
Detroit — Mayor Mike Duggan on Monday announced a third round of Detroit businesses slated to receive a combined $500,000 in grants through the city’s Motor City Match program.
The nine small-business projects include a mix of restaurants, retail and professional service shops. Individual award amounts range from $18,000 to $100,000 to help with equipment or build-out needs, officials said.
“It’s been amazing to watch this program grow and see the creativity and hustle that Detroiters are putting into their business ideas,” Duggan said in a statement released on Monday.
The effort, launched in early 2015 by Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., has provided seed money to help entrepreneurs start or grow businesses in Detroit neighborhoods. The effort links new and expanding businesses with Detroit real estate opportunities, funding and technical support.
Round three winners include:
■Advance Plumbing & Heating Supply Co., 2984 Grand River Ave., will get $100,000 toward a $1.76 million expansion to add a showroom in Midtown.
■Assemble Sound, LLC., a music studio located in a historic church at 2300 17th Street, near Michigan Central Station, wins $100,000.
■Mack Avenue Community Church and The Commons at 7900 Mack Ave., will get $80,000 toward the community church’s for-profit LLC, “The Commons,” a cafe and coin laundry shop with free internet access and desktop computer use.
■Black Pride Beauty LLC., an African-American hair care company of the patented “Comb-N-Weave,” gets $60,000 toward employing 10 to 30 veterans and community members at its new location at 1111 Bellevue St.
■Always Brewing Detroit, a cafe and community gathering space at 19180 Grand River Ave., won $45,000.
■DMEX Printing gets $35,000 toward expanding into a new space at 7226 W. Vernor.
■Brix Wine and Charcuterie LLC., gets $32,000 toward a wine and charcuterie boutique at 7960 Kercheval to employ community members and collaborate with a culinary school and establish an internship program for students.
■Bamboo Detroit, a co-working space, wins $30,000 toward its new location on 1420 Washington Blvd.
■Mama Coo’s Boutique, an upscale resale and vintage boutique, gets $18,000 toward its business opening at 1707 Trumbull in Corktown.
In addition, officials noted Monday that 50 applicants in the third round received Business Plan awards for a free business planning courses, 30 businesses got Space awards, to connect them with real estate and financial planning help and seven other businesses won Design awards for free architectural support to plan renovations.
The quarterly competitive grant program works to connect building owners with prospective small-business tenants. The program’s building-owner track is for Detroit property owners with a vacant space who are looking for new tenants. The business-owner track is for small companies looking to start or expand in Detroit.
Since it began, the program has received more than 2,000 applications from business and building owners. Officials say two-thirds of the match program recipients have been from Detroit and 70 percent of the winning businesses are minority-owned.
Since it began, the program has awarded $1.5 million in grants, helping business owners to leverage $10.5 million in investments in neighborhood businesses, officials say.
“There are so many Detroiters out there who have dreamed of starting their own business, and Motor City Match is giving them that extra nudge they need to take the next step,” DEGC CEO Rodrick Miller said in a statement.
“Whether someone needs help creating a business plan, needs support planning their building renovations or is in need of some extra financing, Motor City Match is going to help get that dream from idea to open.”
The next round of applications will be accepted from June 1 to July 1. For information, visit the Motor City Match website.
CFerretti@detroitnews.com