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.
Devan
I’ve always loved trying new restaurants, foods, and cocktails. My dad was a chef, so I grew up around great food, and I think that’s really where my love for it all started. I’ve always been the person posting my meals and sharing places I go, but one day I decided to turn it into a food blog. Read more>>
Jake Baragrey
Years ago I was a master mechanic. As age set in and repairs became more difficult and complicated I sought a change. I essentially took what was the easiest part of my of my job and made a full time thing out of it. I decided to make the most basic part of automotive maintenance that people pay good money for my primary venture. Read more>>
Beth Griffith Manley
For Beth, music was woven into the fabric of her life from the very beginning. Growing up in Detroit, she was surrounded by music at home through her father, a member of the legendary Motown Funk Brothers—the musicians responsible for many of the iconic hits that shaped generations. Read more>>
Bryan Drewyor
I was raised in Toledo, Ohio, in a home where both science and art were simply part of everyday life. My father is a psychologist who spent his career helping people understand the mind, while my mother is a musician who taught me that music has the power to connect people in ways words often cannot. Read more>>
Uta Brauser
I came to Detroit from New York City, my favorite and main stomping ground with art, but was attracted to the scene and street art in Detroit. When I discovered a few situations with art, free spirited and bohemian installations combined with opportunities in Real Estate to rehab houses for very low purchase prices, I was very inclined to move here. Read more>>
Ayana Love
From humble beginnings and upon my own merit, my name is Ayana Love. I am the Founder of an up and coming full service consulting firm with in-house media production. ManagedByUs (MBU) offerings are just evolved services from my work as an independent freelancer over the past fifteen years. Read more>>
arun chandrakanthan
My name is Chandra and I am a Tamil Ealam American born artist based out of Detroit, Michigan. I am multidisciplinary, who practices in many mediums, but my focus is on music. I am artist first, musician second, but I am a multi-instrumentalist who loves making songs. Read more>>
Kaliegh Jewell
Flower Rill came from a very personal place. I grew up close to nature. I grew up in it, around it, noticing it. I was always the kid outside, fascinated by anything growing or alive, and I think that shaped the way I see flowers now. Read more>>
Paige Forrester
I moved to Detroit in 2018 to pursue the path of teaching yoga and fitness. After a couple years of working at the Detroit Athletic Club and boutique studios, I took my first reiki classes and knew I wanted to have a career pivot and learn the body on a deeper level. Read more>>
Jano Baxmann
I used to be a professional soccer player for BVB and totally fell out of love with the game, so decided to some time off and study in the U.S. where I started to be a DJ around 2023. Doing was the first thing that gave me dedication and drive after leaving my dreams as a player behind. Read more>>
DarNesha Thomas
My journey began through music. I am a classically trained vocalist, who was intrigued about the affects of music on the brain (emotionally, spiritually, and physically). My psychological endeavors broaden my horizons, strengthening my research on mental health within urban communities. During my educational studies, I became enthralled about destigmatizing mental health within urban communities. Read more>>
Melissa Mckinney
Growing up, my life looked a little different than most. I was adopted by my mom’s brother and sister, and from an early age I always felt like I lived between worlds. I never quite fit into one box, and looking back, that probably shaped the way I see life today. Read more>>
Suzanne Lamoureux
I am a lifelong fine artist and craftsperson. Through my mother, an award-winning artist and art teacher, I had access to all the good art materials and great teaching from a young age. My paper obsession really began when I was given some origami paper while in grade school and it hasn’t stopped…. Read more>>
Carl Viana-Smith
From a young age, I am grateful to claim that I showed talent in many areas. And on the surface, as bold of a statement as that may seem, it was somewhat of a curse, in my opinion. I felt an obligation to explore most of them, and as a perfectionist, trial was not enough. I needed to be above average, at the least. Read more>>
Shu Wen Tay
I started getting into piano playing at my own request – when I was in preschool, I heard another classmate play the piano fluently, and I thought it was quite beautiful. That was how I started to know about this instrument. Read more>>
Justin Dillard
Born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, I got my start on piano while being discovered by Barbara Suggs Mason at Julian Jr. High School playing piano before choir rehearsal. Seeing the potential she informed my mother and a casio keyboard was purchased. In high school, I was introduced to my late piano teacher Dave Gessner via the Steckman Studio of music. Read more>>
Isabella Diaz-Borrello
In 2020 during the first quarantine my father handed me money and told me to make something out of it. He told me “try to double what I gave you and make more.” At the time I had seen many Tik Toks on making earrings out of random silly toys and I thought I could do that too. Read more>>
Mariah Scott
I always new I wanted to work with businesses in a creative capacity, and have time freedom for my future family – but I didn’t exactly know what that would look like! Read more>>
Craig D. Washington
My story started in Detroit, where I learned early that creativity could become a form of survival, identity, and purpose. I didn’t come into fashion just wanting to make clothes. I came into it wanting to build something that carried meaning. In 2017, I founded Top Notch NME as a streetwear brand, but over time it became much deeper than apparel. Read more>>
Aren Homrich
I was first introduced to architecture in high school through a hand drafting class, and I immediately enjoyed the blend of creativity and technical problem solving. When it came time to choose a college, I knew I wanted to pursue a creative field, but I wasn’t sure which direction was the right fit. Read more>>
Steven McCannon
I Steve ‘The Animal’ McCannon have been playing drums for 18 years. I live in Richmond Michigan. I’ve toured all throughout the Detroit scene and nationally for 12 years as well as to states like Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky,Tennessee etc. I grew up listening to 80s hair bands i always thought that their stage show for the 80s bands were always amazing. Read more>>
Alyssa Hodgson
All my life I was surrounded by music. Coming from a musical family, my father being a drummer and my mother a Singer, I wanted to follow in the steps. I always loved putting on shows as a kid. Singing was an outlet for me to just me myself and not care about what was happening in my life at the time. Read more>>
India Bell & Layla Kuhl N/A
In 2015, Layla found herself struggling to balance domestic life with a development project. She decided to find a house cleaner. She wanted to hire someone directly to ensure she was well paid. Through a local nonprofit, Layla found a mother of three, and she was her first residential cleaning client. Read more>>
Darrien Thomas
My name is Darrien Thomas, the owner of DaeBreak. The studio wasn’t born from a desire to just start a business; it was born in 2020 out of a total lifestyle evolution, a commitment to a progressive mindset, and a physical space that matched that grander vision. Read more>>
Christopher Barnes
My fitness journey is built on a straightforward belief: consistent effort, measured intensity, and proper nutrition can help anyone build a physique and a level of performance they never thought possible. I was fortunate to learn the value of exercise at a young age, but my time in the Marine Corps completely redefined my view of human potential. Read more>>
Sydney Fitzpatrick
I grew up in the South and always loved animals. I went to Ohio Wesleyan University, where I got degrees in Zoology and Environmental Studies. During college, I also started working at the Columbus Zoo, which set me on a path to be a zoo keeper, my dream job. Read more>>
Courtney Cutino
I started working with polymer clay about 10 years ago, and it was just an artistic outlet for me. Over the years, I saw popularity rise with polymer clay and I also witnessed peers take their art from a hobby at home to doing markets, shows, and galleries. Read more>>
Lee Ann Walker
I’ve always had a passion for crafting and expressing my creativity. I started teaching crafting classes and sharing my crafting knowledge and skills about 5 years ago just for fun and had no idea my business was forming. I enjoyed teaching crafting classes and formed my business around that. Read more>>
Sisters in Business Nicole Parker
Sisters in Business Michigan (SIBs) was founded in 2017 by The Parker Sisters—Alisa Parker LaGrone, Tiffany Parker, Teleshia Parker, and Nicole Parker—in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The idea was born from research conducted by Nicole, which revealed a troubling reality: Black women were the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, yet they remained among the least funded and least supported. We knew something had to change. Read more>>
Morgan Parker
I knew from a young age that I wanted to speak to millions of people. After watching a spot from an Ad Council campaign at 14, I had this weird idea that I could change the world. Read more>>
Ella Barnes
I grew up in Washington, DC, where my parents fostered my creativity from an early age. I was fortunate to attend a school that truly valued art making. In high school, I discovered the darkroom, and analog photography quickly became my obsession. I was captivated by the magic of printing with enlargers—the subtle beam of light, shifting lenses, and precise apertures. Read more>>
Arriana Blakes
I’ve grown up a creative kid a multi talented at that; I loved painting, drawing, music, dance, and fashion. Growing up we moved around the city alot, so I attended many schools that included creative arts. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Stewart
Kaitlyn Stewart is an internationally recognized bartender, James Beard-nominated author, and educator based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally from Toronto with a background in film, she began her career in hospitality while supporting her university studies. This early experience fostered a profound interest in bartending and hospitality, ultimately guiding her toward a distinguished career in the field. Read more>>
William Swift
My story…….. that can be a lot……. LOL. I’ll try to make it brief. Really my story to where I am now started a number of years ago when I first got into the film industry. After taking classes, I started working for a local film studio build sets. That was unfortunately short lived (politics). Read more>>
Dylan Grubb
Dylan Grubb, Founder of Extreme.Outdoorsmen Extreme.Outdoorsmen started back in 2016 as nothing more than a hobby. Growing up, my dad, Dean Grubb, introduced me to fishing and hunting, and some of my favorite memories are spending time on the water with him and my twin brother, Hunter. Read more>>
Bianca Bee
I’m Bianca Bee, I’m originally from Detroit, but I built my name and career in Los Angeles before moving to New York to expand my career and pursue even bigger opportunities in media. Every city has shaped me in a different way and pushed me to grow both personally and professionally. Read more>>
Elizabeth Estes
What started this for me was actually very personal, but not in the way people might expect. I met a billionaire, someone who had every resource at his disposal, and despite that, he could not save his wife from a devastating lung disease. That stayed with me. Not just because of the loss, but because it challenged something I think most of us believe. Read more>>
Malissa Whited
Thirty years ago, at the age of 21, I discovered yoga in a way that was completely unexpected. I didn’t have the money to attend public classes, so my first teacher was a VHS tape—Yoga Mind & Body with Ali MacGraw and Erich Schiffmann. I think I still have that tape tucked away in storage. Read more>>
Cheyenne Lee
Like others, my art practice began to reveal itself at a young age. I was always crafting something from oven-baked clay, jewelry, writing, or anything that was handed to me. I had an innate seriousness about my craft and the quality of what I was creating, which has stuck with me to this day. Read more>>
Mark Reinhart II
I started working with my dad in the window cleaning industry in 1996. In the beginning, I handled residential work, route work, and smaller commercial jobs. One of my regular routes was cleaning all 36 Sheldon Cleaners locations every two weeks, which gave me a strong foundation in consistency, customer service, and attention to detail. Read more>>
Sherrell Wilson
I am originally from Prince George’s County, Maryland and I moved to the Metro Detroit area in 2023. I was engaged and in the process of starting a new chapter of life here in Michigan but things quickly took a turn and ended. Read more>>
Stephanie Martis
I started crocheting in 2018, and my sister in law got me interested in it, and helped guide me ! I because instantly obsessed lol. I studied yarn, hooks, patterns, and saved a lot on Pinterest. I practiced crocheting everyday, it became my full time favorite hobby! I made a lot of teacher gifts, donations, and gifts for my family and friends. Read more>>
Shauntarius Hinton
My journey as an entrepreneur began with a passion for creativity and a love for bringing joy to others through my content and desserts. In 2021, I officially launched Shauni’s Sweets LLC with a vision of creating custom desserts and floral arrangements for special moments and celebrations. Read more>>
