• Another new Detroit business opens in 2021 despite COVID-19 crisis
• Motor City Match (MCM) Round 11 $40,000 cash grant awardee
• Gallery, bar, record store and music venue among several female- and minority-owned businesses receiving support from MCM, City of Detroit, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC)

DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Andrew Lucco, Senior Small Business Development Manager, DEGC, joined Roula David, owner of Spot Lite Detroit, to celebrate the grand opening of the Detroit-based gallery, bar, record store and music venue today.

“Motor City Match grantees like Roula are following through with their plans to open their businesses, even though COVID-19 has made it more difficult,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “We are extremely thankful to Detroit’s small business community for their commitment to the City. Now we ask residents to come out and support great local businesses like Spot Lite Detroit.”

In April 2018, David received a $40,000 cash award from MCM. Her vision was to build a creative space where people who are passionate about art, music and performance could share a common experience. David’s dream has evolved into an art gallery, bar, record store and music venue that will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Located at 2905 Beaufait St. in the Villages Neighborhood, David has 10 employees and hopes to double that number soon. David hired Detroit-based companies where possible to complete the facility buildout, including contractors and architects. She owns the 5,000 sq.-ft. space with her husband Jesse Cory, co-owner of 1XRUN, where she is also vice president. David is a diverse entrepreneur who has spearheaded several public art projects and creative festivals in Detroit including the Quicken Loans Small Business Murals Project, Murals in the Market and the City of Detroit’s City Walls project.

A first-generation immigrant and female business owner, David is thankful to MCM, the City of Detroit and lenders Detroit Development Fund (DDF), ProsperUS Detroit and Michigan Women Forward for their support.

“MCM opened the door for this space to become a reality,” said David. “In addition to the cash grant, MCM connected us to lenders and helped us navigate all the requirements to bring our business to life. In partnership with neighboring businesses, I see this this area becoming a creative corridor filled with art.”

Nearby MCM businesses include Brewery Faison and The Commons. Brewery Faisan microbrewery and taproom is located at 1087 Beaufait St. in the nearby Islandview neighborhood. The Commons, a unique combination coffee shop and laundromat, is located at 7900 Mack Ave.

1XRUN, the world’s leading publisher of fine art, is located next door to Spot Lite Detroit in a building originally owned by Beyster Lumber and dating to the early 1900s. 1XRUN has published more than 3,500 editions from 1000 artists since its opening in 2010, including local aspiring artists that David and Cory have helped develop.

Spot Lite Detroit is one of 118 open Motor City Match businesses that have received support from the program. Of those businesses, 81 percent are minority-owned, 71 percent are women-owned and 64 percent are owned by Detroit residents. The program continues to have a large and positive impact on Detroit’s small business community, including:

• Roughly 20 more MCM businesses are expected to open in 2021
• More than 1,000 jobs have been created as a result of open MCM businesses
• $9.5 million has been awarded in cash grants through MCM and Motor City Re-Store, which has leveraged $44.1M in additional investment into Detroit’s neighborhoods
• Nearly 300 additional home-based and mobile businesses have started or expanded with the help of Motor City Match

“Motor City Match continues to have a tremendous impact on Detroit,” said Kevin Johnson, DEGC President and CEO. “More Detroiters are on a path to economic mobility, have been given a chance to pursue their passions, and have access to goods and services in their neighborhoods. We are using the lessons we learned from MCM to create even stronger support for Detroit’s small business community – the heartbeat of our City.”

About Motor City Match

Motor City Match is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations. Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is a non-profit organization that serves as the lead implementing agency for business retention, attraction and economic development initiatives in Detroit.