Army vet, Motor City Match winner opens fitness studio in Detroit's Old Redford neighborhood

DETROIT (FOX 2) - An old bank that was abandoned for decades is home to several new Detroit businesses, including a fitness studio.

Dawana Vickers, an Army veteran and mother to an 8-year-old daughter, cut the ribbon Dawana Fit in the Old Redford neighborhood Tuesday.

"Fitness has been a part of me since I started in the military. That's what kind of put it into me, is the military, and once I got out and had my daughter I kind of knew how to work out, and then I started sharing my journey on social media," she said. 

She said other women started asking her about her fitness journey, motivating her to want to open a fitness business. She was able to open her studio after winning money from the city's Motor City Match program, a grant program that has invested close to $9 million in small businesses.

"I'm really glad to have the 132nd Motor City Match business open, and you couldn't be open in a more growing neighborhood than Old Redford, so congratulations, Dawana," said Mayor Mike Duggan.

It's progress that's been a long time coming. John George started Motor City Blight Busters, now Detroit Blight Busters, here in this neighborhood more than 30 years ago in an effort to beautify and revitalize and bring people back to Old Redford.

We've been dreaming of this kind of day for a lot of years. Seems like more and more we get to see people moving in instead of moving out, so we're very pleased and very excited," George said.

The lofts upstairs are fully leased and much of the retail space as well, but they do still have room for some more tenants.

"We have one restaurant space and then two small spaces in the rear of the building," said Myles Hamby, with The Platform. "We signed five businesses up in 2021 and moved four people into the apartments above, and we couldn't be more thrilled to see the progress of the neighborhood and this building."

For more information on the fitness studio, click here.

The next round of applications for Motor City Match opens Friday. Learn more here.