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Woodbridge Bikes and Coffee was awarded $20,000

Ten small businesses will share $500,000 through the Motor City Match Fund, Mayor Mike Duggan announces. Grants range from $10,000 to $100,000.

“Detroit’s economy continues to grow and improve, and Motor City Match is helping to ensure that the prosperity spreads across the city and into the neighborhoods,” Duggan says in a statement Monday.  “The business winners we’re announcing today are paving the way. They will be renovating neighborhood buildings, creating jobs and serving the community.”

This marks the second round of projects that will receive a combined $500,000 in grant funding through Motor City Match to help them start or expand in Detroit, a press release says. 

Launched by Mayor Duggan in partnership with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) last year, Motor City Match connects new and expanding businesses with Detroit’s quality real estate opportunities and provides them with the funding and technical assistance to help them get from idea to open, the release says.

The largest grant, $100,000, went to Chad Dickinson, the owner of I’m Here LLC, a property- and business-development business on Livernois that describes itself this way: I'm Here Detroit provides thoughtful community driven solutions to local interior architecture and design problems while aiding with business development.  

Dickenson is developing the historic Hunter Club on Livernois.

“This is great. This project is a 10,000-square-foot building I bought on the northwest side of Detroit that’s had 20 to 30 years of neglect and needs a lot of help,” Dickinson said, according to a story in Crain's Detroit Business.

Other winners are:

  • Beautiful Bridal LLC, a bridal gown boutique co-owned by Vallery Hyduk and reality TV star Keasha Rigsby of “Say Yes to the Dress” opening on E. Jefferson ($50,000).
  • Astute Artistry, a licensed trade school for fashion, film and makeup opening in southwest Detroit ($50,000).
  • Pharmacy 4 Less, an independent retail pharmacy that is expanding to offer patient consultation, prescription and non-prescription products on Gratiot Avenue ($75,000).
  • Ali-Wali Child Care Center, a one of a kind Islamic childcare center that models Montessori education opening in the Banglatown neighborhood ($10,000).
  • Woodbridge Bikes and Coffee, a lifestyle retail boutique that will specialize in the commuting cyclist ($20,000).
  • R&L Color Graphics, a graphics, printing and publishing company that documents family legacies in the form of obituaries and photo biographies ($30,000)
  • Detroit Sip, A community gathering space selling Detroit-produced coffee, tea, doughnuts, pastries and other items ($35,000).
  • Slydge, a fast-casual restaurant on Livernois ($45,000).
  • Reimer Preister, who got funding to help replace two burned-out buildings at 8044 Kercheval Ave ($85,000).