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.

Tyler Svec

Fast forward a couple of years, and I realized that I had too many stories for this to be a hobby, and I needed to see if I could make a go of it or not. I had self-published a couple of books through a self-publishing company years earlier, and it had been a pretty horrible and expensive venture that never made me any money. But thankfully, I was knowledgeable about Photoshop, websites, layouts, things like that, so I decided I was going to self-publish because it was much, much cheaper, and I had too many books to even consider doing it the way I was before. Read more>>

Luna Guerrero

After covid I remodel my small salon into a metaphysical store selling my custom work such as intention candles, spiritual baths, banishing sprays, and handmade jewelry. Luna gallery supports the local art community, giving artists a place to display and sell there art. Read more>>

Isaiah Laskowski

Somewhere along the way, I met a girl who got me into Door to Door sales and it changed my life forever. I had always been a confident man–but when it came to conversational effectiveness & adaptability, I wavered. I had always been a thinker & very athletic, so I was able to skirt along just fine without ever honing in my communication skills. After about 6 months of getting my face kicked in by a variety of homeowners of all personality types, cultures, & moods, I started to become quite confident in my ability to communicate effectively. In fact, over the next 2 years it became a strong-suit. The problem was that somewhere along the way, I’d lost my playfulness. In my new found skill of effective communication, I was developing a bad habit. I’d turned a skillset into an identity. Read more>>

Maggie Haveman-Gould

I lived abroad with a family and further came to know: language is music, ordering coffee, how to dress and talk for the weather, how to blend in, how to engage, and how to keep up. My initial intent in college was to graduate from GVSU in Spanish and Elementary Education – a program that became unavailable a few years later. Maybe it has returned in the years since. But as I took my 200-level education courses I couldn’t picture myself entering a classroom with 30 kids for 30 years and just doing that over and over. I decided not to pursue the education side, and stayed on with Spanish, graduating in December 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from GVSU in Spanish. Read more>>

Joe Warner

To ease the financial strain on my new family, I applied for scholarships and grants to avoid piling up student debt. My search led me to apply for the BMI and The Conclave scholarship. I poured my heart into it, sharing my goals, dreams, and even voiceover demos recorded on an old voicemail machine. And wouldn’t you know it, I won. I traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to accept a full ride to Specs Howard, which was the premier trade school for broadcasting and media here in Detroit. Read more>>

Rachel VerWys

Rachel VerWys has over twenty-five years of work and life experience in diverse contexts and in a variety of communities in Southern California and West Michigan. Her experience ranges from the walking in support with a neighbor; leading teams to serve with excellence and wholistic response, to the complex, building of county-wide collaborations and non-profit organizations. Read more>>

Kathy Hoeksema

The Porch & Co. is a retail store specializing in repurposed and restored vintage and antique furniture, new and used gift items, clothing, one of a kind artisan wares, and vintage and antique home decor. We opened in January, 2022 on Holton Road in Muskegon, MI. with a group of 18 independent small business owners selling cooperatively out of one store. Formerly located within The Front Porch in downtown Muskegon, the group searched out a new location when the owner retired from the retail industry. A massive porch at the new location led to a name change: The Porch & Co. Read more>>

Kimberly Fish

I started my cheese journey about 11 years ago. I was looking for a second job and a position at a local cheese shop opened up and I took it. I fell in love instantly. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was moving to Traverse City to help my Mom open up a Cheese Lady Store. For the past 10 years I have been the store manager and as of December 2024 I am now the owner. I found my people when I fell into the cheese business and I have never looked back. Being part of the Traverse City community is an absolute joy and I hope that I am bring as much joy to the community and they give me. Read more>>

Louie Domerese

I started off working downtown at shortys shoe repair. I worked there for ten years while training with master cobblers and a shoe maker to better my skills in the trade. In 2018 I started dreaming of opening my own shop and by April 2019 I was able to open my doors. Read more>>

Matthew Seegers

We started partnering with business owners and nonprofits who shared our values. People who needed help sharpening their message and scaling their presence. That evolution led us to launch Media Cheat Code—a done-for-you content growth service focused on YouTube and Instagram. We help creators, consultants, and brands grow with intentional strategy, streamlined production, and systems that scale. Read more>>

Jean-Baptiste (JB) Caillet

In 2002, I opened a gourmet grocery store in Fort Greene called L’Epicerie, catering to the emerging foodie culture with imported and organic foods. In 2007, I joined Bouley as a Captain, later becoming a Service Manager, responsible for all on-premise special events in the Bouley Test Kitchen. I worked closely with Chef Bouley to tailor menus for specific guest needs and collaborations with celebrity chefs. Read more>>

Martha Lubbers

I primarily work in oil painting. There is just something about the way that medium holds and reflects the light. It’s the same with film photography. I strive to catch ephemeral moments, and these two mediums seem to have a magical quality around them that allows us to step into those moments and lose time while exploring the feelings they bring up. I find that painting abstracts allows for more emotional release and exploration, while the landscapes I am drawn to paint and photograph, are all about shadow and light. Read more>>

Julie Cassar

Then I clicked around the site and, upon seeing the links to my books (The Ruby Blue Series and the Stealing Light Trilogy), I was struck by another thought, “Hey. I wrote some books. How the heck did that happen? I am soooo not a writer.” It was funny. Not in the “ha-ha” way, but in the “that is just too bizarre to be true” way. The realization struck a chord: just because we don’t believe something, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Read more>>

Rachel Holmberg

I opened my chiropractic practice in 2018 because I wanted to be able to help pregnant women, children and families receive excellent chiropractic care that wasn’t a “one size fits all” type. I want to be able to address each individual health concern and be able to solve problems. I have expanded since then with 2 massage therapists and Stemwave Technology that helps people with chronic and acute pain. Read more>>

Rabbit Thomas

I grew up in Grand Rapids Michigan but spent my summers in Ludington with my cousins after my mom passed it was a no-brainer to move to Ludington with some family was I love it here Read more>>

Alicia Bruce Dibble

My journey into the holistic arts began in 2005. I was a sophomore at Grand Valley State University per my parents request. As I truly tried to listen and align with a career in the scope of this style education system I found my self in complete inner turmoil. As much as I tried see myself picking a career path it all seemed to not align with the core of me. My eyes began to open to the “ systems of the world” and how so many people seemed un happy and detached from their core passion.  Read more>>

Scott Toupin

Here’s what makes them different: they don’t just remove junk—they reroute it. Through their Free, Cheap & Antique Store, they keep 80–90% of what they haul out of the landfill. Items that still have life left—furniture, décor, tools, even the occasional oddity—get a second chance. It’s a sustainability story wrapped in service. Read more>>

Bill Palmer

I decided in 1998 to give non horse shoe related ironwork a try . I rented an old service station in a little town named Hadley . It wasn’t long before I won my first public commission, to be installed in between the Planetarium and the Flint Institute of Arts. After completing that installation I knew I would much rather do this than shoe horses. I have since built driveway gates, garden sculpture, and artistic architectural ironwork. Read more>>

Roy Almaguer

I’ve been a tattoo artist for over 10 years now and I specialize in black and grey tattoos. I’m proud of how far my wife and I have come since high school. We’ve been doing this together and making things work with our business along with raising a family. I think what sets me apart is that I’ve always had a team. Whether it’s my wife or friends and family by my side supporting what I do. Read more>>

Abby Orahoske

In 2015, the summer after I graduated high school, I started building things out of wood. I would post my creations online for friends and family to see. A lot of times, they’d reach out and ask if I could build something for them. I’d usually do it if I thought it was something I could handle. Sometimes I’d take the job just so I could practice a new skill. That being said, I’m pretty self-taught. My hobby turned into a business pretty quickly. That’s how Rustic Lumber Works was born. Read more>>

Michelle Wolf

In my early teens, I performed in talents shows, and different school contests. Later in my teens and early twenties, I started performing at different fundraisers and coffee shops. I also started recording my original works at local recording studios. My twenties brought releasing my first album, being the front woman for various rock/alternative/experimental bands, and collaborating with many other musicians and friends. Now in my thirties, I have honed in to my craft- still writing, recording, and performing around the Metro Detroit Area- sharing and bearing my soul with the world through music as a solo artist. Forever aspiring to inspire! Read more>>

Ray Marie

My love for Nail is what feeds my soul and that wasn’t fulfilling my passion that I was looking for. With making press on nails I’m able to do nails for girls all over the world. That right there gave me that feeling I was looking for because these girls in Atlanta don’t want what these girls in Michigan want the girls in New York got a different style from the girls in Los Angeles and girls in Florida are more creative more razzle-dazzle. And I still make simple plain, French tips whatever type of nails its just being able to also have the orders where they’re real creative compared to not really doing it at all. Read more>>

Patrick Newman

After a while of trying to rock with no bassist and trying out other bassist, I called Cooley up one day and said “Hey dude, you want to play bass in this project.” Mind you I’ve known Cooley at this point for like 18 years and know damn well he never played bass. He said yes without hesitation and became the power house of low frequencies so fast in our band, it’s hard to imagine our music ever without him. Jordan and I learned our instruments together as kids and so we had this telepathy in music that I cannot for life of me recreate with anyone else and we needed that in the rhythm section. We found that with Cooley instantly and the guy didn’t even own the first bass he played, I bought it haha Read more>>

Rose Marcarelli

I knew early on that the traditional college path wasn’t for me. I was your typical C student who would constantly be drawing instead of taking notes. When people used to ask me the infamous question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always had the same answer: something that combines working with women and art. Starting a business seemed like my best bet, Read more>>

Shonda

After my 2nd divorce, I returned to LA, thinking that this was going to feed all that I thought I was missing in Virginia, but then Covid happened and the world shut down. I kept writing, promoting my book, Black Indian, that had just come out. Those years in lockdown, I knew that it was time to come home, back to Kalamazoo. This was where my mom lived, where my ancestors’ bones were buried: this was where my stories came from and always come back to. So I bought a house and now I’m a modern-day homesteader on almost 4 acres of land in Almena County. It’s crazy and so rewarding. Read more>>

Mohammad (Moe) Rashid

As I got older, I saw how hard my parents continued to work—especially after my dad got injured on the job and was laid off just before qualifying for a pension. That’s when I started stepping in to help pay bills and ease some of the pressure. During college, I worked valet shifts from 5 PM to 2 AM, got home by 3:30, and was back up by 9 AM to attend classes at Wayne State. I did that four days a week for years. It was exhausting, but it built me. Read more>>

Brent And Shannon Barrick

We have always had a passion for animals and sharing that passion has lead us to work with some amazing species. We were fortunate to end up where we are as the township was very welcoming and willing to work with us. We began by doing presentations at local schools and it just grew from there. We now work with many schools, homeschool groups, summer camps, host birthday parties and local families. Read more>>

Miranda L Bissinger

I have been working with the public since I was of age to work. I came into the aesthetic industry seeking to care for others by inspiring their most confident selves! I am grateful for this opportunity to help others through a career path I find highly enjoyable and grateful to many amazing mentors I’ve had along the way. Read more>>

George Jones

One of the biggest challenges has been finding the right kind of business support. People see what I do—teaching, training, performing—and they assume I’ve got it all handled. But the truth is, nobody can do everything on their own. I’ve got the talent side covered, but running the business side—things like marketing, advertising, admin work—that’s a whole different lane. Read more>>

Elizabeth Anderson

Starting a new business is never easy — especially when your main focal points can literally pop at any moment! There’s been no shortage of challenges along the way. From carefully loading balloons into the car, only to lose one to a sharp edge, to dealing with unexpected issues during installs like oddly shaped walls, hot weather, or too much direct sunlight — there’s always something that keeps you on your toes. Read more>>

Serena Hoang

My turning point came when I was 37. I looked in the mirror one morning and barely recognized my reflection. It felt like my face had changed overnight — sagging in ways I hadn’t expected. That experience led me down a path of research and discovery. I started reading everything I could find about cosmetic procedures, nutrition, skincare, and non-surgical treatments. But instead of clarity, I found conflicting and confusing information — especially on social media. Some practitioners praised fillers while others dismissed it. The same went for other treatments including botox, lasers, radiofrequency microneedling and chemical peels. Read more>>