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.

Elaine Soble

In 2012, my husband Jeff and I bought a second family home in South Haven, MI. We decided to rent it out a few weeks a year to help pay the bills. It did so well that we began to rent the house more and more, and eventually it became a full-time rental. Based on our experience, we decided to buy another rental home. Read more>>

Hana

My journey into bridal fashion began with my own experience as a bride. It turned into a passion —to help brides step into their happily ever by feeling radiant, confident, and truly seen. Read more>>

Ameneh Marhaba

My journey with Little Liberia is deeply personal, it’s rooted in survival, heritage, and a passion for food that started in my mother’s kitchen. I was born and raised in Liberia, my mother’s homeland, and also spent time in Tripoli, Lebanon, where my father is from. Growing up, my mother didn’t have much, but what she did have was an incredible gift for cooking. Read more>>

Larissa Flynn

I’ve been a life long artist with a background in graphic design & illustration…..plein air painting is a relatively recent artistic pursuit which began at the storied property known as Tapawingo in Ellsworth, MI. It was there that the chef owner invited me to paint live during a tasting dinner to add to their guests dining experience. Read more>>

Theresa ‘Tree’ Beeckman

I grew up in Bridgeport, Michigan. While there I played everything sport I could, including football. I got a softball scholarship and played for four years at Saginaw Valley State University. My coaching career started while I was in college giving me a unique view of team building and team culture development. Read more>>

Amy Larsen

Since opening in 1999, Your Plate or Mine Pottery Studio have offered a family friendly paint your own pottery experience to our local and visiting community and surrounding areas. We have added additional creative experiences to our studio including art and canvas classes as well at clay and wheel classes. Read more>>

Jordyn Dryden

I photographed my first wedding for a family member when I was 16, so to date myself, 12 years ago now. I continued in photography during high school and college, using the money I earned photographing weddings to help supplement getting through college. Read more>>

Joe Sanok

I started out as a counselor who loved helping people but quickly realized that most therapists weren’t taught how to actually run a business. I was working full time at a community college, running a small private practice on the side, and burning out fast. I knew there had to be a better way to work—one that allowed for both impact and balance. Read more>>

Niki & Niko Duo

We are Niki and Niko Pinedo, an American-Peruvian husband-and-wife photography duo with over twelve years of experience capturing love stories across the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. Our journey began in Peru, where fate brought us together when we meet in 2008 and became good friends. Read more>>

GRACE Center Jody Robson, MA, LPC, CAADC, CCS

Grayling Regional Addiction Counseling and Education (G.R.A.C.E.) Center started in 1987 as a nonprofit ministry of the St. Francis Episcopal Church to provide needed services to the community. Our mission as a service agency is to be dedicated to improving the spiritual, emotional, mental, and social conditions of people in our area. Read more>>

Erika Lowe

I started my career in the beauty industry as a receptionist, working summers at a salon when I was just 14 years old. This experience allowed me to quickly learn the ins and outs of the business side, from scheduling appointments to keeping the salon stocked. Read more>>

Zee Ni Bhraonain

I was born and raised in California, deeply rooted in Irish-traditions and surrounded by a vibrant Irish-American community. My father, a ninth-generation Dubliner, moved to the U.S. in the 1980s and met my mother, a Grand Rapids native. Read more>>

Reva Oleszczuk

I became an esthetician out of a deep desire to find connection and meaning through my work. I was a bit lost in my mid 20s, and really wanted a job with flexibility, autonomy, interpersonal relationships, opportunity for constant learning, and a way to help people. Read more>>

Hollis Conway

Over the summers when I was growing up, I would haul cases and set up lights for my Dad, who was a commercial photographer. We spent even more time together while I assisted him in high school, learning how to produce images and run a studio. I left for college, only to be disappointed that there weren’t any classes about starting a business. Read more>>

Angie Morthland

Mackinaw Area Historical Society Est. July 10, 1996 ~~Timeline In Progress Draft~~(dates are approximate via verbal memories and printed information researched) 1996-1997 President Robert John “R. Read more>>

Christine Hall

**From Life’s Challenges to a Dream Realized: My Journey to Business Ownership** My journey to opening my own business began in 2010, though I didn’t know it at the time. That year, I found out I was pregnant with my youngest son—and on the very same day, I learned I had 20 blood clots in both sides of my lungs. Read more>>

Meredith Long

My story illustrates the theory that if you are curious, and follow what you love, you will find your way. I grew up loving history and art but didn’t think it was a viable career choice. Read more>>

Jenn Braman

In 2024, I founded Jeni’s House — a counseling boutique designed to make therapy approachable, beautiful, and deeply human — and launched Hearts United, a nonprofit organization rooted in kindness, connection, and community healing. Together, they now operate from a historic 2,400-square-foot Victorian home in downtown Newaygo, offering both clinical and wellness-based services. Read more>>

Anna Flanders-Krogman

From a young age, I’ve always been captivated by the details that make a space feel magical. It wasn’t just about working with pretty things; it was about atmosphere and how colors, textures, light, and music could make people feel something. I’ve always had an eye for detail and an appreciation for the finer things in life, but even more so, I’ve loved creating moments that feel intentional and timeless. Read more>>

Kibra VanHorn-Williams

Kibra is an author of two books and co-author of another, does motivational speaking, professional development and seminars for organizations, companies and schools. She takes pride in being positive and trying to make the world a better place. She jokes with her husband that they are pinky and the brain. Because we are just crazy enough to really try to change the world. Read more>>

Catherine Bates

I always knew I wanted to help people. The first career I thought I wanted was to be a teacher. As a freshman in high school, I decided I wanted to be a psychologist. That desire to help others came from my parents. Before my parents separated, all of my cousins and the neighborhood children loved coming to my house. Read more>>

Maryann Johnson

I’m a retired Florist/Gift Shop owner who was bored with retirement, so along with my husband, we renovated an old Barn & got back into the Gift Shop business.. Read more>>

Josh Hance

I’ve always had a passion for mixing flavors that started when I was just a kid raiding the pantry looking for new spice combos to sprinkle on popcorn. I learned the ins and outs of the Quick Service world through McDonald’s and at one time managing one of the busiest stores in Michigan. Read more>>

Nicole Steffen

Before starting my business, I spent over a decade refining my skills as a graphic designer at the typical long-hour agency jobs and later as an art director at a regional magazine, where I managed photo shoots and designs for more than a dozen publications. Eight years ago, my life took an unexpected turn when my mom suffered a stroke and needed extra support. Read more>>

Allison & Chandler Stevens

KeyPiece Furniture started with humble beginnings as a side-hustle in 2020. It was birthed out of necessity when Chandler and Allison’s salaries were cut in half due to the COVID pandemic. In order to continue their ministry jobs with the youth group they led, they began buying pieces of furniture from local auctions and reselling them out of the basement and garage of their condo. Read more>>

Leah Follett

I started off in Kalamazoo Michigan 15 years ago where I went to cosmetology school and immediately following graduation went into a salon where I assisted and provided nail and hair services. While I was there for 5 years, I attend Vidal Sasson training and also traveled to Los Angeles and New York to learn from celebrity hair stylist. Read more>>

Matt Voight

My wife (gallery co-owner) and I grew up in Leelanau County where our gallery is located. We have always loved art and many of our dear friends are artists in the area. The building where our gallery is located was also a gallery for 50 years before we took over the space. Read more>>

Lori Cheadle

I started my career in high school they offered cosmetology courses . I was able to finish early by stay to 5:00 pm every night and by attending school on my Christmas and spring break. Graduated in July from beauty school and June from high school. Read more>>

Destanae Smillie-Bautista

I own two businesses, a microblading Buisness and a photo booth Business and both stories on how I got started are very sentimental to me. I believe both my grandparents led me in the direction that I’m on today. Each year my dad‘s side of the family puts on a golf outing in honor of my late grandpa to raise money for different organizations. Read more>>

Matt Szadyr

It all started one summer evening when I was sitting on my deck thinking about how great it would be if there was a way to serve food to everyone out on the lake, kind of like a food truck boat. That idea stuck with me. Read more>>

Connor Willis

What started as just a job quickly turned into something more. I discovered how much I enjoyed working outdoors, creating clean and beautiful spaces, and knowing the work I did made homeowners feel better about their property, sometimes even safer. The sense of pride I felt after seeing a project through from beginning to end was unmatched. Read more>>

Butch TerHaar

The short answer is that I learned to love European travel while in school. My career path led me to become a restaurant owner/manager. I opened Butch’s Dry Dock in 1995. Butch’s concept has always been wine focused. While visiting another restaurant the Chef was promoting European tours. When I saw that as a possibility I immediately knew that was what I wanted to do. Read more>>

STEVEN BOHNET

Bohnet Electric is a 120 year old, family business founded in 1906 by William F. Bohnet, my great uncle. It started with electrical contracting and morphed into a brick and mortar that initially sold lighting as at that time you had to supply product if you were installing power. This idea was innovative, think of it like an Apple store of its time. Read more>>

Brianne Macpherson

It all started because of Covid. I was a teacher in my local school-board and was really frustrated that I couldn’t help as much as I wanted to because of unnecessary red tape. I continued to teach online through Covid because, although I didn’t agree to how things were going, my students deserved my best effort in a bad situation. Read more>>

Francisco Nyakamwe

My name is Francisco nyakamwe aka fleak and I was born in Tanzania Africa but my ethnicity is Congolese. I’ve been in the United States since I was about 7-8 years old consistently. I started cutting hair my senior year cause of COVID, it started first cutting myself then moved to cutting my brother, then friends. Read more>>

Michelle Slusser

Baking a New Beginning: The Story Behind Keto Sweets and Treats Bakery My journey began in 2018 with a single order for keto bread — just one loaf that unknowingly marked the start of something extraordinary. From that small beginning in my home kitchen, my passion quickly grew. Read more>>

Jennell Robinson

I have been driven by the desire to create a lasting legacy for my two sons — my ultimate “why” — turning my passion for people into a purpose-driven career in real estate. With proud Caribbean roots and over 20 years of leadership and customer service experience, she serves as a Realtor®, Notary, and Operations Manager at Lockett-Jones Realty Group. Read more>>

Mikayla Scheibe

I’ve always had a love for photography, ever since I was a little girl. When I was 7, my parents bought me two disposable cameras for our family trip to Hawaii, and within the first afternoon, I had used up the entire first camera, not realizing I had limited exposures. From then on I was labeled as the documentarian amongst my family and friends. Read more>>

Joshua Rebmann

Bachelors from Central Michigan University in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Masters from Central Michigan University in Counseling. I worked for a local counseling agency for 10 years. I opened my own small private counseling practice three years ago. Bulk majority of clients that I work with are dealing with the court system in some fashion. Read more>>

Jamie Eising

My husband was a mechanic and I was a teacher. We have four grown children. Sassafrass went up for sale in 2019 and it perked our interest but wr still had three kids at home and clearly we already had jobs. Read more>>

Kellie Santiago

I’ve always said my success really started with how I was raised. I grew up with two entrepreneurial parents, so owning a business and working hard were just part of everyday life. My dad started his own restaurant when he was 19 and still runs it today, and my mom sort of fell into business ownership by accident. Read more>>

Heather Rinkevich

In March 2020, I decided to step back from a 20+ year career in higher education. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Administration and a master’s in Humanities, I spent years helping others reach their academic and career goals. But over time, the growing corporatization of education left me feeling burned out, and I knew I needed a change. Read more>>

Amy Pyle

Manchester Blooms is situated on a 19.5 acre farm, that has been in Tom’s family for 2 generations before us. When Amy & Tom acquired the farm it was a Hay field. Hay is a crop that requires very labor intensive, hot work. The family wasn’t passionate about doing Hay. Read more>>

Kristen Vosler

Our farm Journey begins the year of COVID and the birth of our first born daughter. 5 years ago, we moved to the country. Found our farm home and have never looked back. Our whole life shifted. For many reasons, I changed jobs. Started working remotely full time. With two acres to play with. I just started planting! I’ve always loved gardening. Read more>>

Jarrett Timmons

I fell into boudoir almost by accident. I was photographing weddings, capturing love and connection between people, and thought, “Why not try this too?” But the first time I stepped into a boudoir session, everything shifted. It wasn’t just photography—it was transformation. Read more>>

Joanna Whaley

Before I came out as a transgender woman, I was an evangelical pastor. I worked at some of the largest megachurches in the United States, and around the time I was outed by someone from my congregation, I was working for one of the biggest megachurches in Michigan. That moment sparked a journey for me to advocate for LGBTQIA+ people in religion. Read more>>

Craig Whilby

My journey started in the city of Detroit being born in Dec. 1969. As a child I always had an enthusiasm for running my own business. Starting at the age of (10) selling worms by the dozen to fishermen who had to travel down my street to get to the Detroit River. Read more>>

Maria Dobbertien

I started Functional Kids in 2014 right after I had my daughter when my job closed due to an unexpected Medicare audit that closed its doors. I built it from the ground up with no prior knowledge of how to bill insurance or run a medical practice. Read more>>

Alessandra Chatson, DNP

Dr. Alessandra R. Chatson’s journey into the aesthetics and wellness industry is a testament to her passion and dedication to her craft. Initially drawn to all things pink and girly, including makeup and nails, Dr. Chatson’s early career as a nurse did not initially align with her aesthetic interests. Read more>>

BRAD ROBERTS

This is a huge question. I wouldn’t know where to begin. In the 1980’s, I graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy. This had an enormous influence on me and on my songwriting. Crash Test Dummies were signed to BMG in about 1990. Read more>>

Liz Baker

My name is Liz Baker and I serve as the AFSP MI Chapter Secretary and Community Engagement Chair. I am also a survivor of suicide loss. In 2014 I lost my best friend, Desmond to suicide. I was just 17, and fresh out of high school at the time. Desmond and I grew up together and had known each other since we were in diapers. Read more>>

Colton Hughes

When I was just a little boy of 6 or 7, my mom would ask me to rub her shoulders for her. She told me that I had strong hands! And whether that was true or not, it perpetuated a hobby. Read more>>

Tyra Williams

As a lifelong athlete, I have always been involved in exercise. I played basketball and volleyball during high school and was exceptional at both. I chose to pursue basketball and continued to develop my skills until I was recruited to play college basketball. Read more>>

Jared Autrey

My journey has always been about creativity and connection. I’m Jared Autrey, and I own Frxsco Graphic Designs and Frxsco Dance Sessions—two businesses that grew out of my need to channel my artistic passion into something meaningful, whether through design or choreography. It’s about more than just work for me; it’s about bringing people together through what I love. Read more>>

Kachina Provonche

My story kind of starts all over the place! I was born in Hawaii, and both of my parents were in the Army, so I have traveled and lived all over! I graduated from Fruitport High School, where I was awarded scholarships for singing, and ended up going to MCC for a little bit. Read more>>

Julie Lowry

In 2014, my mother-in-law and I discussed our love of crafting and how I’ve always wanted to learn more about ceramics. As a holiday gift she gave me a class at a pottery studio in Greenwich Village, as I was living in New York City at the time. I chose to take a hand-building class, and after pinching my first bowl, I was hooked! Read more>>

Forming Function Podcast

Ultimately, Forming Function is the product of a Covid-era lawn happy hour. Brian was talking about his idea for a podcast that he had been noodling on since 2015, when returning to Detroit after working as an architect for Walt Disney World park and resorts. He was inspired by their process, which starts every design with a story. Read more>>

Sara Wesche

I was born and raised in Michigan, growing up in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, and I’ve always felt a deep connection to the Midwest outdoors. My family were boaters, spending summer weekends on Lake Michigan, and skiers, taking winter trips up north. Read more>>

Paige Young

I started photography when I was 16. Around that time, Myspace was full on -full force. Digital cameras were new and shiny and becoming affordable. I didn’t have a lot of photographs growing up because of the lack of access of digital cameras, and disposable cameras weren’t necessarily something that my parents bought on the regular. Read more>>

Nicole Gonzalez

My name is Nicole González, and I’m 38 years old. I’m the mother of Nicolás (22), Tomás (17), and Khloe (4), and I will soon be the grandmother of Agustina. I’m a certified instructor for Kangoo Jumps. Kangoo Jumps is a high-intensity aerobic workout performed with rebound boots that absorb up to 80% of the impact on the joints. Read more>>

erin jewell

I am a reiki master, medium, and dream doula that has been practicing reiki and other mystical arts for the better part of a decade. A lifelong intuitive, indigo, and highly sensitive human, i began to dabble in oracle cards after a deep personal loss, trying to regain a sense of grounding and belief. Read more>>