Motor City Match helps lifelong Detroiter open Wildemere Bar and Grill in Martin Park

• Corey Williams and his family open Wildemere Bar and Grill at 3143 W. McNichols in the Martin Park neighborhood, marking Motor City Match’s 202nd ribbon cutting

• Motor City Match awarded Williams a $50,000 cash grant for interior renovations and furnishings

• Williams, a lifelong Detroiter and University of Detroit Mercy alumnus, purchased the vacant building in March 2016 and spent nearly a decade transforming it into a mixed-use development with apartments, maker space and a full-service restaurant

• The 2,500-square-foot establishment seats 100 guests and employs 17 Detroiters; Williams used Detroit-based contractors for all construction work

MARCH 18, 2026 (DETROIT) – Mayor Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) today celebrated the opening of Wildemere Bar and Grill, a family-owned neighborhood restaurant and bar in Detroit’s Martin Park neighborhood. The event marks Motor City Match’s 202nd ribbon cutting.

For owner Corey Williams, the opening represents something bigger than a business. It is the fulfillment of a dream he has carried since he was a kid growing up in Detroit, watching vacant and abandoned buildings line the streets of the neighborhoods.

“When I was growing up as a kid, I lived in Detroit when it was vacant and abandonment was everywhere, and for whatever reason, I wanted to clean it up,” Williams said. “Some kids liked trucks, and I liked real estate, and I always figured what I could do to my neighborhood to make it better was fix up the buildings.”

As a result, Williams zeroed in on the 6 Mile corridor, where he believed Detroiters who cared for their homes deserved a commercial corridor that reflected their pride. He started with residential development in 2004, working primarily in the Rosedale Park and University District neighborhoods, before setting his sights on the mixed-use property at the corner of W. McNichols and Wildemere, which would one day become his bar and grill.

Williams, his mother, and business partner Tony Williams purchased the then-vacant brick building in March 2016. Ten years in the making, the completed development includes two apartments on the upper floors, maker space in the basement and Wildemere Bar and Grill on the ground floor, all built with Detroit-based contractors.

The 2,500-square-foot restaurant and bar seats 100 guests and operates seven days a week from 4 p.m. to midnight. Williams received a $50,000 grant from Motor City Match to fund interior renovations and furnishings.

The menu centers on crowd favorites like the Cajun wings and a signature house rice that Williams says keeps customers coming back. The lemon drop leads the drinks menu. Weekly programming includes Taco Tuesdays, live jazz music on Wednesdays and Fridays, Soul Food Sundays and an all-day happy hour on Thursdays. The kitchen also opens to outside food entrepreneurs for pop-up brunches and events.

“When a Detroiter spends a decade rebuilding a vacant building from scratch, hires 17 people from his own city and opens his doors to the neighborhood, that’s the Detroit story we want to keep telling. Motor City Match is how we make more stories like this one possible,” Mayor Sheffield said. “We are proud and thankful for Corey’s vision and commitment to our city.”

Williams describes the space as a walkable neighborhood destination rather than a destination restaurant, and the motto, “Where friends become family,” echoes that. He says foot traffic from nearby University of Detroit Mercy, where he earned both his bachelor’s in business administration and his law degree, has already made an impression.

"The Wildemere brings great food, hospitality, and style to the University District, breathing new life into 3143 McNichols. This renovation by Corey Williams embodies the Strategic Neighborhood Fund's mission to champion inclusive and resilient growth in Detroit's neighborhoods,"said Jason Barnett, Senior Vice President of Lending, Invest Detroit, which provided additional financing for the project. “Corey is the type of entrepreneur who brings vibrancy and is deeply rooted in Detroit's culture.”

“Corey has been putting in the work on this block for nearly a decade, and now the neighborhood gets to see the result,” said Sean Gray, senior vice president of Small Business Services at DEGC, which manages the Motor City Match program. “Motor City Match is designed for builders like him. When you invest in someone with that kind of commitment to Detroit, you know it’s going to pay off.”

Williams said the support from Motor City Match and DEGC changed his outlook entirely.

“I used to be pessimistic. When I first started developing real estate, I felt like there was no money out there and I had to do it all on my own,” Williams said. “Then I ran into the DEGC, and it became real. My tone totally changed. I wasn’t able to get this done without that support. I needed those funds.”

Through 30 rounds of Motor City Match:

• Total cash grants: $21 million (Total leveraged investment: $111 million)

• 84% of awardees are minority-owned

• 72% are women-owned

• 70% are owned by Detroit residents

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 including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at www.MotorCityMatch.com