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Motor City Match recipient HM Style Lounge & Chill Room opens in Grandmont Rosedale; focuses on community, artists, chefs

Aug 23, 2021

  • Bar and lounge to offer cultural events such as live art, poetry readings, fashion shows and food pop-ups
  • New small business received Motor City Match (MCM) Round 10 business plan and Round 12 Space award totaling $5,000 in business services
  • Business “matched” with building owner Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, which received MCM Round 11 cash grant of $50,000 to develop the space
  • Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) has helped 130 Detroit brick-and-mortar businesses open since Motor City Match began
  • Business owner among several Black- and Detroit resident-owned businesses receiving support from MCM, City of Detroit, DEGC

DETROIT Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit City Councilmember James Tate, Motor City Match program manager Andrew Lucco and Sherita Smith, Executive Director of the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, joined Herschell Masten, owner of HM Style Lounge & Chill Room, to celebrate the grand opening of the intimate bar and lounge in Detroit’s Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood today.

“Unique small businesses give neighborhoods their own feel and character and HM Style Lounge & Chill Room is a perfect example,” said Mayor Duggan. “With help from the Motor City Match program, Herschell Masten has brought a great new community gathering place to Grandmont Rosedale that will add to this neighborhood’s increasingly vibrant commercial district.”

Today’s event also celebrated building owner Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, which received a $50,000 cash grant from MCM to develop the space as part of the program’s Building Owner track. In this track, Detroit building owners who lease vacant commercial space to a prospective tenant may receive gap financing to complete renovations.

Born and raised in Detroit, Masten said he received a wealth of community input to help him deliver a unique experience that had been absent in the area.

“HM Style Lounge & Chill Room is the only business of its type in the Rosedale Park neighborhood,” Masten said. “Residents told me exactly what they wanted. Mostly importantly, they want this business to succeed.”

Located at 19566 Grand River Ave., Masten said he’s created a space for fellow Detroiters to kick back and relax – and leave their worries outside.

“HM Style Lounge & Chill Room shows the lengths Detroiters will take to see their dreams become reality,” said Tate. “Despite the challenges he has faced, Herschell worked to provide his fellow Detroiters with a unique experience and a welcoming space to relax and chill.”

The 2,000 sq.-ft. bar and lounge will offer cultural events such as live art, poetry readings and fashion shows with a focus on local artists and talent. DJ classes will be offered to patrons at no charge; the lounge will also host pop-up chefs serving unique cuisine. Masten currently has four employees and plans to hire 15 full-time and five part-time employees as his business grows.

Masten began renovations on HM Style Lounge & Chill Room in the fall of 2019, but progress was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He credits perseverance as the key to making it through the obstacles he has faced. He received a MCM Round 10 business plan and Round 12 space award totaling $5,000 in business services. Masten also received support from ProsperUs Detroit and was a Hatch Detroit Top 10 finalist.

“Motor City Match is an invaluable resource,” said Masten. “All aspects of the program are designed to help participants throughout the entirety of the process from professional development to becoming a successful business owner – taking me from idea to open. I’m grateful for all the help I’ve received from MCM to make my vision a reality. I’m also proud the join the growing number of business owners giving the Grand River commercial corridor new life.”

HM Style Lounge & Chill Room is one of 130 open brick-and-mortar businesses that have received a cash grant from MCM. It is located near several open MCM-supported businesses, including Detroit Vegan Soul, Good Cookies, Artesian Farms and Fit4Life Health and Fitness.

More than 80 percent of all MCM businesses are minority-owned, 71 percent are women-owned and 64 percent are owned by Detroit residents. The program continues to have a significant positive impact on Detroit’s small business community, including:

  • Around 1,000 jobs have been created as a result of open MCM businesses
  • $9.5M has been awarded in cash grants through MCM and Motor City Re-Store, which has leveraged $45.6M 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
  • More than a dozen additional MCM brick and mortar businesses are expected to open in 2021.

“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 because of this program. Today, we are creating an even stronger MCM program to support Detroit’s small business community – the heartbeat of our City.”

HM Style Lounge & Chill Room is open Tuesday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. The bar and lounge is hosting events and providing specials throughout the week of August 16 to celebrate its grand opening. Visit facebook.com/hmstylelounge to learn more.

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.

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