Motor City Match Winner Joyola Mei Celebrates Eco-Friendly Salon Opening  

A Round 18 Motor City Match awardee, Joyola Mei received a cash grant of $25,000 toward the opening of her new salon, Joyola Mei in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

Going natural has always been in — now is being natural and supporting eco-friendly Black haircare products.

City officials, including Mayor Mike Duggan, joined community members and Joyell Lewis, owner of Joyola Mei, to celebrate the grand opening of the latest Motor City Match (MCM) awardee – an eco-conscious and curl-driven salon for people with wavy, curly, coily and tight textures. Joyola Mei is located at 1432 Michigan Ave. in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The salon is one of several Black, woman-owned businesses opening in Detroit in 2022. After starting her career in legislative government, Lewis chose hairstyling as a “side hustle.” She has been a licensed cosmetologist since 2011 and started working behind the chair in October 2018.

“I am hoping to bring awareness to eco-conscious and clean beauty,” said Lewis. “We’ve created an empathetic, safe space for people of all hair textures while teaching sustainability and clean beauty in the industry. A lot of people have never been introduced to the idea that products should be natural and clean, and many salons aren’t inclusive of various hair types. Even though we are not curl specific, we are curl-driven. Thanks to Motor City Match, we’re able to educate others and provide an inclusive, safe space. ”

Joyola Mei, which offers walk-in appointments and online booking, provides haircuts, color services, extensions and styling, and sells organic styling products. Joyola Mei’s hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“It was just three months ago that Joyell was awarded her Motor City Match Grant and today we are celebrating her grand opening,” said Mayor Duggan. “We’ve done this 135 times now and with so much talent in our city, we’re going to expand the program so more entrepreneurs can realize their dream of opening a business in Detroit.”

Joyola Mei is one of 135 open brick-and-mortar businesses that have received support from Motor City Match. More than 90 percent of all MCM businesses are minority-owned, 80 percent are women-owned and 85 percent are owned by Detroit residents. The program continues to have a significant positive impact on Detroit’s small business community, including:

• Over 1,000 jobs have been created as a result of open MCM businesses
• $9.1M has been awarded in cash grants through MCM
• 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 2022.

“With nearly half of jobs in Detroit provided by small businesses, the success of our city is inextricably linked to the success of its small business community,” said Kevin Johnson, President & CEO, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. “Joyell Lewis is a shining example of the tenacity and fortitude our local business owners consistently display.”

Learn more about Joyola Mei at joyolamei.com.

Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at www.MotorCityMatch.com