Hidden Gems: Local Businesses & Creatives You Should Know

Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.

Cat Brown

I was raised in Mid-Western Michigan. As a young married couple my husband and I decided that him joining the U.S. Air Force would be the best start for our family, so we soon left the Great Lake State. I started her career as a Residential Real Estate agent in 2011, while living in Nebraska and raising 3 kids. My family and I were able to move back home to Michigan in 2016. Where I have been enthusiastically providing the members of Livingston County and surrounding areas with the best service I possibly can. Read more>>

LUSS TNL

Absolutely. I go by LUSS, and I’m one half of the rap duo TNL alongside my brother, King T. We’ve been building this movement for years — starting out in Cali, where we hit some of the biggest stages and really found our sound. That run out West elevated everything for us. We weren’t just performing — we were making noise, connecting with real fans, and proving we could move like headliners even without a machine behind us. Read more>>

Breana Jackson

In 2018 I worked in the corporate world, trying to win the rat race. After I had my second baby, I realized that I wasn’t building a career I wanted to live in. On a long road trip chat with my husband I shared my hopeless outlook and he asked, if money were not issue, what would you want to do? I answered with my gut, explaining that I would want to have a little store in a downtown that we lived in, being apart of a community. It eventually boiled down the the phrase, I want to bring the love and warmth of life into people’s homes. Read more>>

Jennifer LeBaron

My goal is always to deliver beautiful, high-quality images—but more than that, I want my clients to walk away feeling seen, celebrated, and cared for. That means being responsive, flexible, encouraging, and always going the extra mile to make the experience fun, relaxed, and unforgettable. Whether it’s helping with outfit choices, scouting meaningful locations, or just making someone feel comfortable in front of the camera, it’s the experience that keeps people coming back. Read more>>

Chris Schell

He told me to go for it since they were just going to chip the trees anyway. After consulting with Michigan State University and being told there’s little to no chance the trees would survive, we still decided to try. At the time we were “young, dumb, and broke”, so we took a crew of about 15 friends and family to the farm to dig up the trees. After two days of digging and transporting, we had 1,400 mature trees to plant in the late winter. Currently 90% of those trees are still thriving and producing apples. These trees allowed us to start selling apples 3 years sooner than originally expected. Read more>>

John Pottenger

Coastline Studios began in 2003 primarily as a photography business, with videography offered initially as a supplementary service. In 2009, we strategically pivoted our focus exclusively to wedding and event videography, closing the photography side to specialize and elevate our expertise within this dynamic market. This dedicated shift allowed us to significantly enhance the quality of our work and establish ourselves as industry leaders. Read more>>

Marshalle Favors

Following these influential experiences, Marshalle immersed herself in filmmaking, spending summers working on sets in any capacity she could. Her creative breakthrough came when she pitched an idea for a short film to her friends. Their enthusiastic support and encouragement for her to direct, led to her first project and cemented her commitment to storytelling through film. Since then, she has produced several independent feature films and directed three short films. Read more>>

Kristy Aka Javelin Howard

Over the past 14 years I’ve created a pretty substantial business with several different skate vendors. Roughly two years ago, I started an International online jersey and apparel shop that produces fully sublimated garments within 15 business days. Due to the fact that a I am a Director of Supply Chain for a large Healthcare system I’ve only really advertised on Facebook and by word of mouth. In the next 12 months I plan to develop a website that can reach a larger customer base internationally. Read more>>

Jennifer Lake

Call it gut instinct, call it manifesting, call it unstoppable drive. Somehow, while mourning, I found the strength to pour myself into my art and my new business. Over 20 years later, here I am, still amazed how everything came together. It hasn’t been without a lot of ups and downs. Along the way I have faced challenges from clients, employees, partnerships, competitors and myself. But I have learned from each lesson and have given myself and others grace along the way. I’ve loved each moment, and still pinch myself that I GET to create something unique and beautiful every day. Read more>>

Elyse Rowland

While pursuing my degree in Graphic Design, I needed a photography credit to graduate. That one class ended up being a turning point in my life. Ironically, I failed Digital Photography 101 the first time around—skipping too many classes—but was required to retake it with the same professor. He saw potential in my eye for composition and, while he didn’t go easy on me, he offered thoughtful critique and encouragement that sparked something in me. Read more>>

Kenyetta CAMPBELL

My name is Kenyetta M Campbell, and I’ve dedicated my life to neighborhood stabilization, community engagement, and youth development. I was born and raised in Detroit, and from a young age, I understood the importance of leadership development and the impact that opportunity can have on someone’s path. Read more>>

Susan VandePol

The days that followed were other-worldly in a way, and though I had 4 years to prepare for his death, I couldn’t explain or express the pain; the tearing. I remember thinking that it reminded me of the “old days” late at night when the T.V. programming was over for the day, and there was just what seemed like static on the screen. A loud-silent-screaming-static. In reality, a sacred covenant had been torn by death. But I have learned that death doesn’t have the last word; Jesus does. And He has done more than I could have ever asked or imagined. Read more>>

Lori McColl

WHIM’s systems are already powering operations in some of the most dynamic environments in the country. As a key vendor in the relaunch of Michigan Central, WHIM supported the digital foundation of a once-abandoned train station turned global innovation hub. The team brought AI-powered logistics to Arnold Freight Company on Mackinac Island, helping modernize one of the most remote freight operations in the U.S. WHIM also works closely with top real estate and hospitality teams in Detroit, building backend automation that supports customer experience, leasing, staffing, and operations. Read more>>

Whitney Stallworth

After college, I hit a bit of a creative pause and drifted from fashion for a while. But when I moved back home to Detroit two years ago, everything changed. That move reignited my passion and gave me the space to fully relaunch my creative dreams. Today, I run WhitneyWoreIt, my fashion consulting and content brand; JC Consulting, where I support other creatives and entrepreneurs; and CraftBoxDetroit, a creative workshop series designed to help people of all ages explore their artistic side and prepare portfolios Read more>>

Ashley Mason

I feel it’s been smooth. Of course I do work longer hours now that I’m not at a 8:30-5 job. Now I wake up through the night with more business ideas. Who I* can add to our program as well as who can we partner with to help. I want to be the best and everything I do. Not only do we give back to the food pantries and rescue missions we also have partnered with schools and organizations to help them raise money for the activities the funds are needed for. Football, dance, wresting and so on. Read more>>

Michelle Crandall

I’m not sure any business owner would describe the road as “smooth,” and mine certainly had (and will continue to have) bumps along the way. Starting an event-based business about 6 months before the pandemic was the obvious challenge, but being an entrepreneur can come with a lot of mindset issues as well. Photography has a low bar to entry: you don’t need a degree and beautiful images are usually in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, learning to feel confident in my artwork, my offerings and my business model has been an important process, and one I continue to work on every day. Especially because many people don’t even realize pet photography is a specialty! Read more>>

Sofia Pate

I do sometimes have a hard time making time to work and make money. During the summer and weekends during the school year, I work at The Mason Jar Cafe as a waitress/barista. The owners of The Mason Jar have been wonderful to me and work with the crazy availability I throw at them. Growing up doing photography has put me in weird positions, such as asking myself if I want to do this as a full-time career or not. As I enter my 20s, I want to give myself more grace when it comes to putting pressure to figure out exactly what I want to do. I love photography, I love theatre, I love being creative! As time goes on, I’ll find that sweet spot between them all. Read more>>

Karsyn Judd

Hi, I’m Karsyn. I am registered nurse and portrait photographer! My passion for photography began back in 9th grade when I got my first iPhone. I remember people telling me, “You don’t have to document everything,” but I genuinely loved practicing the art of noticing the little moments. Read more>>

Jalen Ray

Originally from Michigan, I moved to Atlanta in 2018. Once I moved to Atlanta i got into acting. Ive been featured on shows like American Soul, Star, BMF & more. In between acting I decided to start my own podcast called “Sip&Chat” where I interview different influencers, reality stars, & personalities. I did 3 seasons of the podcast and took a 2 year hiatus. The podcast is officially back for season 4 and is currently airing on YouTube. This season will feature guest like Mama Vette, Erica Dixon, Judi Jai, & more. Read more>>

Stacie Kreiser

It has not been a smooth road, initially we were sharing a clinic with another veterinarian who was not in the non-profit space and quickly discovered that we needed our own space. This caused a sudden upheaval and need for a quick relocation, several buildings fell through at the last minute. We have faced issues with being able to run all of our medical equipment at our new location and hope to move into a permanent location to be able to use all of our diagnostic equipment. Another struggle is having adequate staffing for the amount of work, we have two full time employees and one part time employee. We have the work load for at least another 2-3 full time employees. Stacie (DVM), is a volunteer at Mercy working 2 other jobs to be able to keep Mercy afloat. Read more>>

Joseph Mequisedec Ramos

I decided to make a short film by myself and after completing it, I feel in love with the process and art. I began to make more solo short films and eventually enrolled in Grand Valley State University for their film program. After graduating GV, I went back to working in a factory because I couldn’t find a job in my field due to my introverted self. After a year, I decided to break out of that slowly and reach out to production companies around town and little by little, I was invited to some great companies. Within a couple of months, I stated my freelance work. Read more>>

Kara Laferty

Life moved on, as it so often does. and I pursued a path in psychology and social work, eventually earning my Master’s degree from the University of Michigan and with it, headed into the realm of mental health in Michigan. I thought that chapter of creativity was behind me…until I met my husband, Andrew. He brought more than love into my life—he also brought his DSLR camera. Andrew loved photographing landscapes, animals, and stillness. I, on the other hand, was drawn to people—their stories, emotions, and unbridled joy. So I “borrowed” (let’s be honest—permanently adopted) his camera and started shooting again in 2016. Read more>>

Natalie

My plan was to start once both boys were in school full-time—but putting yourself out there is hard and honestly a little scary. The year I turned 30, I realized how quickly time was flying, and I decided it was now or never. That’s the year I officially launched my design firm, and it’s been growing ever since. Running a business while raising kids isn’t always easy, but both are such huge parts of who I am. Even on the wildest days, I’ve truly loved the journey. Read more>>

Haley McNeil-Chapman

While the early morning hours are much to be desired, I liked the flexibility and creative freedom it gave me. In 2011 I opened my own bakery in the Cascade (Grand Rapids) MI area and have expanded twice. Opening up my first bakery was very scary and expensive. I took out a small business loan and maxed out my credit cards. I worked 6-7 days a week for the first year almost open to close. Slowly I was able to hire more staff which helped me grow. Read more>>

Devon Frontczak

My own healing journey is what led me to become a therapist. I realized that I didn’t go through all of this and overcome to not share my education and experience with others. I became a peer support specialist in 2014 for our local community mental health and really found my passion, fueled by the staff there at the time, and I earned my master’s degree in social work from Wayne State University. Fast forward, I spent some time gaining my ground as a therapist and then felt pulled to build my private practice, Placed on Purpose, where we specialize in trauma recovery, emotional regulation, and working towards providing peer support. Read more>>

Lauren Jacks

I realized that I belonged in this industry. I started working with a big event company and have the honor of managing some of the most elegant event spaces that Michigan has to offer. While venue management tickled the logistic fancy, I still needed something more creative to feel fulfilled, and started offering wedding planning and coordination services to local couples in 2020. My couples have taken me from their backyards, to beautiful downtown venues, to lakeside properties, and even to other states, and I’m so grateful. Read more>>

Ashleigh “Carpentier” Garrod

So, I went back to school to earn my master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology. After finishing, I returned to my hometown of Portage, Michigan, and founded Top Tier Performance—a company dedicated to helping athletes build the mental skills necessary to thrive not just in sport, but in life. What started as a personal pursuit of passion has grown into a mission: to give athletes of all levels access to elite mental performance training rooted in science, empathy, and real-life experience. Read more>>

Sari Brown

2020 was a huge awakening and turning point for me, as it was for so many, along with all the challenges and suffering around us. I started spending more time in nature. The hectic, compulsive work grind, the disconnected, hierarchical structures of relating–I could see it all so clearly for the lie that it was to support oppressive power structures. I started returning to my roots as a singer/songwriter to create community outside of traditioanl structures that way, and became involved in different spiritual communities and cohorts that helped me dream big and outside the box. Read more>>

Sarah Schram

I’ve been a hairstylist for over 15 years, with the last decade focused almost entirely on men’s grooming. After managing a busy men’s salon for years, I realized I wanted something more personal—something of my own. That idea stayed with me through the chaos of raising kids, navigating life changes, and continually sharpening my craft. Eventually, I took the leap and opened Stark Haircuts for Men—a space rooted in quality, comfort, and community. Read more>>

Michelle Tatarly

Launching Little Explorer’s Preschool has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life. The road hasn’t been easy—navigating rezoning, state approvals, unexpected buildout costs, and the emotional weight of starting a business from the ground up was daunting. But thanks to the unwavering support of my family, friends, and the incredible families who entrusted me with their children in my very first year, we’ve created something truly special. Read more>>

Marisa Delgado

As a child, my sister and I would record what I like to think of as an early version of a podcast — capturing our voices and everyday adventures on tape. When my dad bought one of those big, bulky camcorders, my imagination took off. We created fake cooking shows and even short stories with real storylines. Read more>>

Gary Ten Haaf

I was working in concrete construction and started to do decks on the side for friends and family. When COVID hit we got shut down and that’s when I did some deck jobs for people. I then started getting multiple phone calls for decks and I was having to turn people away because I did not have the time to do the jobs. That’s when I decided this was God’s calling to do my deck business full time. I put in my two weeks and it has been very busy since. I am now in my 4th year, I have a A+ rating with the BBB and 37 plus 5 star reviews. Read more>>

Samuel “Metz” Metzler

I started music in 2011 with my first band Aim Your Arrows. Beginning as a bassist, I played with them for about 5 years. Toured around the mid west, released 2 EP’s played a day of Warped Tour on the Shira Girl stage and made a lot of friends and memories along the way. After that ended in early 2015 I manifested Evergreen. For those 5 years I was the bassist and backing vocals for Far From Fiction and Wanderer. Gaining more experience and knowledge to put to use one day. After leaving Glass Hearts in 2023 I committed to Evergreen full time. Read more>>

Dennis Shatter

After several years of saving capital to start my own business, I woke up one day and told myself “It’s time to take the leap and do this”. I didn’t want to keep punching someone else’s time clock. I felt scared, nervous, and a little timid… not knowing if this new path in life was going to work. With the support of my family and friends, I got to work every day doing research, making phone calls, and asking business owners for guidance and advice. Read more>>

Katie Hess

I’m Katie Hess, a dental hygienist by training with a passion for connection and community. I started my career working in dentistry, and early on, I found myself drawn to the marketing side—managing social media and promotions for the office before it was even common. In fact, in 2012, Colgate flew me to their R&D center in New Jersey to consult on social media and influencer trends—something that felt way ahead of its time. Read more>>

McKenna Sgroi

I was being treated as an equal in a game with people who were playing at a much higher level than I had ever been introduced to until this moment. Now it’s been just over 3 years, i’m 26 now still working very closely with both companies, I’ve made friends with some very savvy businessmen, and I have a new album set to release. If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that if you truly apply yourself and work hard toward the things you want in life, you will get them. It might not be when you want them, but the universe will give them to you when you need them. That’s my story. Read more>>

Lindsay Cotton

I grew up here in Grosse Pointe, and we had a bookstore in town. I loved going there and hanging out. It eventually closed and other chains came and went over time. I really missed that feeling of community and discovering books, and wanted to bring that back to my hometown. I also really love entertaining and good wine, food and coffee, so I wanted to incorporate all those elements into one place. Read more>>

Deanna Girardot

In 2006, a phone call changed the trajectory of my career. A young woman shared that her childhood home no longer felt like the warm, inviting sanctuary of her memories. Instead, it had become a sad, sickly environment. Her mother, still living in the home, was struggling with chronic respiratory issues and bouts of depression. As we tried to untangle what came first — the decline of the home or the decline of her mother’s health — I realized that restoring, revitalizing, and beautifying the space could only have a positive impact on her well-being. That experience sparked my deep love and appreciation for what our homes can do for us, beyond just being beautiful. Read more>>

Shaun Kelly

I managed to get my hands on some india ink, needles and thread, created some horrible stick and pokes, those of which are now covered. Back then I had no intentions of being an artist. Honestly, it was never really put into a perspective for me to understand how art, rendering, or designing was integrated into so many aspects in life. Not just painters like Monet, Rembrandt or Picasso. it was never explained to me how my creativity could be used in other aspects of life. I knew I wasn’t very good at painting and drawing on desks will never be a career, so as a kid I never dreamed I would become an artist. Read more>>

Renee Edsall

Overwhelmingly, the number one comment I received was, “Can I take you home with me?” So, there you go, My Health Freaks, Lifestyle management was born. We help with the followthrough. Whether it’s cleaning there home with our own products, doing their personal shopping, bringing order to the home and casting out harmful toxins, finding solutions for them through project management, the list goes on… Our goal is to reduce influmation through diet and stress management. Currently, I am very happily re-married to a fellow health freak and now businees partener Joseph Edsall. I look forwad to sharing so much more with you! Thanks Renee Edsall Read more>>

Kaitlyn Harris

What began as a pandemic hobby quickly became a form of therapy. I wanted to make decorated sugar cookies for my son’s first birthday, and it lit a spark in me. I spent an entire day baking and taste-testing six different cookie and royal icing recipes with my husband and mom. None were perfect on their own, so I experimented and blended the best parts of each to create my own signature recipes—cookies with the ideal balance of flavor, structure, and texture, and icing that’s as beautiful to work with as it is to eat. Read more>>

Ella Elijah

I started photography when I was 14 years old. My parents gave me a camera (a very small compact one) because I was always borrowing my father’s. At the time, I used to photograph my friends and also took a few self-portraits. Very quickly, the passion was born, and I spent all my free time photographing everything I saw. I experimented with portraiture, macro photography, landscape photography, and more. Read more>>

Shenandoah Chefalo

Everything shifted when I began to learn about trauma, neuroscience, and systems change. That knowledge helped me heal and find clarity. I realized that the systems meant to help people—especially vulnerable children—are often the ones causing harm. That’s when I founded Chefalo Consulting. My mission is to help organizations reimagine their structures and practices better to reflect empathy, equity, and human-centered values. Read more>>

Ben Whiting

Magic was going well, but I got to a point where I wanted to feel like I was making more of an impact. I applied to give a TEDx talk in Traverse City in 2016 and was lucky enough to be selected. After giving my talk, Connect Like a Mind Reader, I was hired by an international leadership development firm and spent several years as a corporate trainer. I worked with teams on communication, trust, and leadership, and I started weaving magic into those trainings to keep people engaged. One day, someone asked if I could deliver a keynote. I said yes, went home, and immediately Googled what a keynote actually was. Read more>>

Maxwell Reh

Following “Children” I made the short “Drizzle of Rain” (which I released at the end of my 10th grade year). During 10th grade, I had my most productive year. In it, I made “Life Without It” (a doc. feature about aro/ace people), “Scenes From Choir” (a doc. feature I made with the help of Dais Crawford about our high school’s choir program during their production of a cabaret), and “Eight Solos, Two Duets, and One Quartet” (a doc. short about Dais’ final choir concert). During that year, me and Dais began production on “Off The Binary” (a doc. feature about non-binary teens) which we codirected. Ultimately, we finished the film during that summer. Read more>>

DJ Code

DJ Code began his career as a sound and lighting engineer, touring with a mission. He was part of a team that visited schools to deliver powerful anti-bullying assemblies — blending music, storytelling, and multimedia presentations to connect with students in a way few traditional methods could. After hours, those same school gyms transformed into concert venues, where students could let loose in a safe, uplifting environment. It wasn’t just about entertainment — it was about impact. Read more>>

Ashley Wilson

I started with a small supply there and have since grown to a much larger selection that includes pens and keychains. People seem to really love what I am able to create and it gives me such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I love to be able to have a creative thought and wonder how that would look on a pen and just be able to design it. I have done custom things for people with personalized names and designs on them. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creativity. Read more>>

Jen Kowal

Over the years, my husband Mark and I have renovated many of our homes. We also love to entertain. We merged these passions to create a mobile bar business. This would be our first time customizing a camper. In our minds, compared to house renovations, we could easily tackle this small-scale project. Next came scouring the internet and then a three-hour road trip to check out a contender. We purchased a vintage 1966 Avalon camper in January 2024, and the renovation began. Fast forward to the Spring of 2024, and our plans to create an interior with a modern, upscale vibe began to take shape. Yard Bar Detroit became a fully renovated mobile bar with finishing touches completed just in time for the wedding in October 2024. Read more>>

Shamari Ferguson

It all started when I was a kid watching movies and I saw most scenes as pictures that just moved. As much as photography itself began in high school where a random circumstance gotta me put into a photography class and when I got into it, I took off running. I wanted to be the best at it got all the strategies and all the grace that did it and I just great. They took great photos. Just maybe expand their work as well, especially creators and black photographers and we just don’t get as much recognition like. Gordon Parks, Vuhlands, and Willem Verbeeck.  Read more>>

Kelly Kennedy

I began my journey in events at Grand Valley State University with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management for Event Planning. I was lucky enough to begin working out of college on the events team at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and spent the next 3.5 years learning everything about this industry which gave me the confidence to start my own business and so I dove in 2013 to officially begin All Buttoned Up Events. It took some side hustles along the way to really get it going but now we are thriving with 3 full time planners, 1 part time event planner and a team of 5 assistants! Read more>>

Lauren Hoffman

I have always identified as an athlete.  From a very young age, I realized that every part of my life felt better when I moved my body.  I could think better, I could move emotions, I could focus.  My ability to sit still, handle challenging situations, and successfully complete complex tasks was all improved by physical exertion.  As a young girl, there were lots of opportunities for movement, goal setting, teamwork, and competition: swim team, sports teams at school, mountain biking, snowboarding, skateboarding, and recess.  Before I could drive, I walked or rode my bike everywhere.  My lacrosse career continued through college, and then, with graduation, every sport opportunity abruptly ended. Read more>>