Five downtown Royal Oak businesses were awarded matching grants in spring 2026 through a city Downtown Development Authority program offering up to $10,000 per business.
The grants mark the first round of the DDA’s Business Recruitment and Retention Program, which uses a dollar-for-dollar match to help small businesses invest in growth, according to the DDA’s announcement in Royal Oak Today magazine. The account appeared in the magazine’s third-quarter 2026 edition.
Eligible expenses include marketing, technology, equipment, professional services and sustainability improvements.
“The success of downtown Royal Oak depends on the success of the businesses that call it home,” DDA Director Isaac Kremer said in the announcement. He said the program lets the DDA invest directly in business owners who create jobs and strengthen the downtown economy.
The announcement identified these recipients and intended uses:
- Creative Arts Studio: Expansion into a neighboring vacant space for additional arts programming.
- Give Thanks: An outdoor café buildout and targeted social media campaigns.
- North End Taproom: Launching a delivery-only food business named Bird and Bees Chicken.
- Seven Sundays Coffee: Digital ordering upgrades, loyalty program improvements and app enhancements.
- Blue Goat: Kitchen equipment upgrades.
The magazine announcement does not provide individual award amounts or payment dates. The program caps each award at $10,000, with the business matching every dollar.
Business owners can find program information and an application link on the DDA’s Business Hub.
