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.
Goddess Alex
I started doing hair when I was 13 years old, and from the very beginning, I experienced it as something much deeper than a beauty service. Long before I had the language to explain it, I simply knew the crown deserved to be cared for as more than hair. Read more>>
Monica Parker
My story starts in 2005, when a fateful visit to Rumors Nightclub in Grand Rapids ended up kickstarting my DJ career. At the time, I was living in Battle Creek, where I hosted karaoke on weekdays and deejayed on the weekends at a small bar called Partners. Read more>>
Jordan McDonald
I’ve always been a creative person, and I’ve had a camera in my hands for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always the person bringing a camera on vacations, trips to the zoo, or anywhere else I could, hoping to catch that one moment that everyone else might have missed. Read more>>
Connor Steensma
I’m born and raised in Kalamazoo, I went to Mattawan from young 5s to graduation. My dad and uncle own Steensma Lawn and Power Equipment, a small engine lawn and garden equipment dealership. I played football from second grade to my senior year of high school. Read more>>
Aaron Amos
I am a former senior morning show producer at WDIV TV 4, Detroit’s NBC affiliate & WXYZ-TV 7, Detroit’s ABC affiliate. After graduating from Lewis Cass Technical High School, and since my start at Wayne State in the Fall of 2010, I’ve devoted himself to the field of journalism. Read more>>
Daniel Command
Dan C Bearded really started from a pretty simple place: I was growing my beard out, trying to learn how to take care of it, and realized there was a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there. I’ve always been someone who enjoys learning, researching, and then breaking things down in a way that makes sense to people. Read more>>
Dom Davis
It all started when I was a kid and would go to the events my Dad was DJing. His name was Mackaroni, so everyone would call me LiL Mack, so it just stuck. Growing up, I was around a lot of music. Read more>>
Lynn Robinson
From a young age, creativity has always been at the heart of who I am. As a child, I found joy and inspiration in listening to music while drawing and painting, discovering that art wasn’t just something I loved—it was a place where imagination came to life. Art is more than a form of self-expression—it is therapeutic, empowering, and inspiring. Read more>>
Argy Selman
I grew up as a first-generation Albanian American girl always feeling like I existed in between. Too Albanian to feel entirely American, too American to feel entirely Albanian, I spent much of my childhood searching for language that could hold the parts of me that never seemed to fit neatly anywhere. That longing quietly shaped the way I moved through the world. Read more>>
Teodoras Kasteckas
Everything started when I was 3 years old. During winter my parents used to take me to the national opera and ballet theatre where we would watch The Nutcracker. That was our yearly tradition back in Lithuania. Before the start of the show my parents and I would always go look at the orchestra pit. Read more>>
Katrina L. Cooper
Hmm! It’s hard to say exactly when I started writing. As a child, I loved creating short stories, but somewhere along the way, that passion evolved into poetry. I was fascinated by the way poetry could capture every emotion imaginable—love, anger, frustration, joy, heartbreak—and transform those feelings into beautiful verse. Read more>>
Jaylon Tyler
I’m a recording artist Rapper Singer Songwriter Producer I’m known for my Hit Single Just Hold On that blew up overseas on TikTok I’m most proud of staying true to myself in my music and just being me sets me apart and I’m not afraid to step in other musically lanes when I rap Read more>>
Christina Nosal
The Collective officially opened on October 1, 2025, after an unexpected opportunity changed the course of my business journey. I had been a vendor in the previous store when the former owner approached me about taking over the space. I saw the potential to create something special for our community and jumped in with both feet. Read more>>
Shelby Kranker
I never planned to start a creative business – I went to school for my bachelor’s in nursing and worked as a registered nurse. Read more>>
Kyoko W.P.
. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Poetry started as something I did to make sense of emotions and experiences I didn’t know how to put into conversation. I never imagined those private journal pages would one day become published books. Read more>>
Reva Germain
I started in a city called Saginaw and I was working out , working third shift and finishing up classes at Saginaw valley university . I started with a group called BBR ( bodies by Ron) and lost 40 lbs That inspires me to start my own business in fitness . So after I graduate I started She’s got it fitness . Read more>>
Russ Turner
I like to describe my entry to photography as ‘at the point of a sword’. I was a stage combat performer and choreographer for a number of years. I used to create choreography for theater and local films and like to work on local film productions when I could. Read more>>
Dana Winowiecki
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for health and fitness. I grew up on a farm in Leelanau County. This is where my passion came alive. Read more>>
Tino Amaya
My story didn’t begin in a boardroom. It began in a family of migrant workers. My parents came to this area looking for something generations before them had never been given—a chance. They taught me that dignity isn’t found in what you own but in how hard you’re willing to work. Long before I understood business, I understood sacrifice. Read more>>
Adam Drucz
The Story of Scan Bud In 2021, Adam Drucz was driving for Michigan’s largest cannabis transport company when he saw a problem that was impossible to ignore. The intake process for transfers was stuck in the past—paper manifests, manual counting, and endless checks that were slow, inefficient, and full of opportunities for error. Read more>>
Ninjin Jadamba
I’ve always loved storytelling. At first, it was just something fun I did in my free time— sharing bits of my life, talking about history, family moments, and what it was like applying to and attending college in the US as an international student. Over time, it completely grew on its own. Read more>>
Shanelle Johnson
I discovered my love for hair in middle school while styling my best friend’s hair. From that point on, I was constantly doing my own hair and styling family and friends throughout high school. Even then, I knew creating beautiful, healthy hair was something that came naturally to me. After high school, I enrolled in college, but I quickly realized my heart wasn’t in it. Read more>>
John Clark
After applying nine times, I was finally hired by the Walt Disney World Company in 1978. That was the start of an amazing career where I got to meet some of the top chefs in the world, travel to work on amazing projects, and have the opportunity to mentor some very talented people. Read more>>
Alessandra Finelli
I always use to say ‘I did’t find the photography..it was the photography to find me’. To be honest, never in my life would I have imagined becoming a photographer. Growing up, my dream was to be a dancer, and for many years, I actually was. My days were spent between company rehearsals and teaching, but life has a strange way of changing your path. Read more>>
Joey Namou
I never grew up dreaming of working in media. In fact, I was on my way to a midterm exam at Oakland University when I heard an opportunity on Mojo in the Morning, a show I’d been a fan of for years. I decided to take a chance, and that one decision completely changed the direction of my life. Read more>>
Venus Works
Founder and Lead Therapist Venus L. Works, MA, LPC, is a native Detroiter whose clinical journey began with a deep commitment to the city’s youth. After earning her Master’s degree in School and Community Counseling from Wayne State University, Venus spent years serving as the Director of College & Career Development for University Prep Schools in Detroit. Read more>>
Kelony Eaton
I’ve always been someone who found joy in creating beautiful experiences. Whether it was baking cookies, celebrating life’s milestones, or bringing people together, I loved making people feel seen and appreciated. Over time, I realized that many adults, especially women, often stop celebrating themselves outside of the big milestones. That realization inspired me to create The Aesthetic Brand. Read more>>
