Textures By Nefertiti, a beauty salon and “hair spa,” celebrated its long-anticipated grand opening on June 16th. The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Mayor Mike Duggan announced that the Motor City Match (MCM) Round 13 Cash and Design Track awardee received a $70,000 cash grant to help open the hair salon.
The salon, located at 6525 Woodward in Detroit, offers a variety of haircare and beauty services. Owner Nefertiti Harris is also launching a haircare line called Mami-wata, named after a mermaid. There is a scalp balm and hair oil with other products to come.
The salon is a woman-owned business, offering haircare and beauty services to anyone who would like to embrace their natural curl. The owner, Nefertiti Harris, attributes the business idea to her desire to create change within the community. “I was very interested in becoming part of a movement that honored the natural beauty of kinky, curly hair. I wanted to offer a service that allowed individuals to be confident in a professional environment with their natural hair,” says Harris. She continues, stating, “I wanted to create a business that celebrated a standard of beauty that was not conventional at the time. For me, I had a 2-year-old and wanted to take care of my child. Doing hair allowed me the time, finances, and privilege to take care of my son and myself.” Nefertiti became passionate about the work she was doing and the change she was bringing to the community, so her salon began to thrive.
Mayor Mike Duggan said, “It wasn’t very many years ago these were a bunch of boarded up and vacant storefronts. Sue Mosey took the leadership in starting, and then Nefertiti Harris came along, said “I don’t want to just open up a business I want to own a building,” and we now have Motor City Match Business number 137 open in the city of Detroit by somebody who is no stranger to Detroiters.”
“Motor City Match connects business owners to a growing network of support, offers critical business services, and maps out the path from idea to open. We are elated to continue supporting Detroit’s small business community as it thrives,” said Drew Lucco, Motor City Match Program Director.
After 19 rounds, Motor City Match has distributed $9.1 million in grants for start-ups and new businesses located throughout the city of Detroit. Through the pipeline of resources provided by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation’s small business teams, more than 1,400 businesses have received assistance along their journey to open their doors. This is all part of the organization’s greater goal to enhance the city’s economic development and beautify its commercial corridors.
Motor City Match continues to grow Detroit’s small-business landscape.
Combined with its other small business programming, DEGC is creating a sustainable small business environment that nurtures new concepts and ideas. Motor City Match offers business owners a wide range of assistance in four tracks: Plan, Develop, Design, and Cash. The program helps Detroit entrepreneurs plan, formalize, and launch their business by providing business planning classes, site-selection assistance, financial planning, legal aid, design services, and gap funding.
Through 19 rounds of Motor City Match:
- Total cash grants: $9.1 million (Total leveraged investment: $47 million)
- Total business open: 137
- 92 percent are minority-owned businesses
- 80 percent are women-owned businesses
- 85 percent are businesses owned by Detroit residents
More information is available at www.MotorCityMatch.com
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