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.
Jasmine Lynch
We are an organization founded by two individuals who simply share a passion for helping and uplifting youth in our community, with no other motives or intentions. Our vision began with a genuine desire to make a positive impact by connecting young people with meaningful resources and opportunities. Read more>>
vernon carter
Where did I get started with Videography?! – That would’ve been at East Kentwood Highlschool in about 2010. I was apart of the schools Audio/Visual team who was in charge of putting together the new cast for the school. Read more>>
Lara Hakamaki
Michigan Psychological Care started small with a dream from one man to better the mental health access in Michigan’s Clinton County. What started as a dream has expanded to real life. The company has now become a staple to many Michiganders across several counties. Read more>>
Paige Rottschafer
In January of 2020, I was leaving my teaching job in Galapagos and could feel a sense of unknown with what I really wanted next. As I usually do with work breaks, I was volunteering and traveling, that time in Colombia, when everything shut down. Read more>>
Mark Braun
Professional pianist 50 years. Studied with premier 1st generation blues pianists in 1970’s and 80’s. Toured internationally dozens of times, multiple interviews on NPR and APB. Founded Mr. B’s JOYBOX Express, a non profit that raises funds for children’s art and athletic programs by touring on a tricycle with 350lb. piano aboard. Many recordings and projects with prominent blues and jazz artists. Read more>>
Paisley Sutton
Winnie Media is a media production company based in Detroit, MI. Founded in 2021 by me, Paisley Sutton, and my mother, Patrice Cheesman, Winnie Media’s mission is to make storytelling accessible to marginalized voices — especially in Detroit. We started the production company due to a combination of practical needs and a call to larger purpose. Read more>>
Audrey Dupuis
I started writing during the pandemic as a way to connect with people’s stories and express the many emotions I was stuck with in my house. My love for music, though, started with my mom. She and I have always sung together, and bringing that into my adulthood has been so fulfilling. Read more>>
Heather Irvine
In 2010, at 41 years old, I decided it was time to get my education and hit the reset button on my professional life. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go. A really wonderful counselor ask me what I was interested in. Read more>>
Cathy Mott
My journey into leadership development began with a passion for understanding people and helping them recognize their own potential. Over the past 25+ years, that passion has grown into CWC Leadership Development, where I’ve had the opportunity to coach leaders, develop teams, facilitate leadership programs, and speak to audiences across a wide range of industries. Read more>>
Gabriel Woodworth
Worthy Finishes didn’t start in a boardroom. The vision began in the 1980’s, when my dad, Doug, was operating a commercial painting company in Houston, Texas. He passed along stories and lessons to me, not knowing that one day I’d follow in his footsteps. Upon my arrival at MSU, I was convinced to join College Works Painting as an intern. Read more>>
Jared Anding
I started learning music from my father, who was a great vocalist. He also taught me the backs of the piano and guitar. I didn’t really stick to them as much as I should have. Of course there was the schools choir and then Ludacris entered the chat. Then 50 cent, young jeezy , Kanye west and lil Wayne. Read more>>
Stacey Lee
First, I’d like to say thank you for even sharing my story, I would start off by saying that you guys have kept up with my story for quite some time now, and I appreciate you continuing to come back and check in on me regularly! Read more>>
Therese Basha – Jarjoura
I often say that I was raised inside a bubble—not a bubble of isolation, but a beautiful world my parents created around us, filled with love, family, traditions, beauty, and hope, despite the complicated realities outside it. Growing up in Nazareth, I felt protected and deeply rooted. Read more>>
Michael Stapleton
For Michael Stapleton, hospitality isn’t just a business. It’s been part of his life since he was nine years old. Michael grew up in the restaurant industry after his mother remarried a restaurateur. His work ethic came from his stepfather and from his grandparents, affectionately known as Papa John and Ma. Read more>>
Scott Kromer and Alison PaolettiKromer Kromer
Our story at the apple farm actually began long before we ever imagined we would own it. Scott grew up just down the road and started working at the farm for Ed and Dusty Knaebe when he was just 10 years old, he continued to work there through high school and into college. Read more>>
Jamie Hallman
Hallman Window Washing started in 2018 as a side hustle with a pretty simple goal: make some extra money, pay off debt, and put my family in a better financial position. At the time, I was working full-time at Western Michigan University and cleaning windows on the side whenever I could fit jobs into my schedule. Read more>>
Audrey Duval
It all started back in 2016, when I became a Retail Mortgage Loan Officer for Oxford bank. During my first ever client in-person mortgage application appointment, after listening to my client’s story, I quickly realized that being a mortgage loan officer was far more than just running numbers and following guidelines. Read more>>
Mark Watkins
I’ve had a passion for photography for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never been shy in front of a camera. Growing up, my parents recorded every birthday party, every Christmas morning, and so many of the moments in between on VHS. Our house is filled with photo albums, making it almost impossible to forget a memory. Read more>>
Ray Keys
My name is Ray Gifted Keys, and my story is really about turning everything I’ve been through into something meaningful. I started my journey through music, creativity, and a deep belief that I was meant to create something bigger than myself. Read more>>
Himani & Jay Patel
Long before we were content creators, our story started on simple local hike dates and weekend road trips. Both of us grew up going on road trips with our families every year, so exploring new places was already baked into who we are. When we started dating, hitting local trails and exploring nearby towns became our favorite way to spend quality time together. Read more>>
Bekah Langlois
I’ve always considered myself a crafty person. I always liked making things, and being creative. I was surrounded by women who were makers; my mom, both of my grandmothers, my best friend’s mom (my 2nd mom). My mom is a wonderful sewist, and she has always been my number one call when I’m stumped while sewing. Read more>>
Philip Casteleyn
How I Accidentally Purchased the Oldest Sauna Stove Manufacturer in the United States It all started on February 13, 2023, around 10 p.m. I had moved to Traverse City, Michigan, about a month earlier to open a new office for the financial services firm where I was working as a financial advisor. Read more>>
Phonzo Brown
“I’m the youngest child, I come from a family of entertainers out of Flint. Music, fashion, performing, preachers, you name it, that was around me early. Me and my siblings used to pretend to be Power Rangers and act out movies mostly by Jim Carrey. Read more>>
Daniel Monroe
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Art was never really something I decided to do one day—it has simply always been a part of who I am. Over the years, that became a career. Read more>>
Richard Taylor
My journey into custom clothing started in 2014 when I launched Harrison Blake Apparel. I didn’t come from a traditional fashion background, and I didn’t have a large amount of capital or an established network in the industry. Read more>>
Matty Owen
I grew up as part of a large musical family in Kansas and then went to school at Indiana University in Bloomington. In 2018, I moved to Grand Rapids and sought out performance opportunities and ways to expand my network. Read more>>
Justin Rivard
I’m a serial hobbyist and got into professional brewing in 2011. During my undergraduate at Albion college, I studied neuroscience and history, but also really enjoyed ecology and studying the environment. Growing up in Traverse City, I have always been fascinated by the natural world and wanting to protect it. I like making beers and ciders with foraged, native and local ingredients. Read more>>
Devon Rayford
June 26, 2023 I came to christ been studying the word and teaching online. Recently I just lost my youtube channel over 30 thousand subscribers and over 5 millions views and I had multiple channels so I have been working on music not letting nothing break the holy spirit within me all glory to the most high . Read more>>
Jeremiah Barker
I had a great friend take me to an underground dance club in Detroit around the year 2001. There’s all sorts of different types of people at this venue. There was a DJ playing House in techno music while everyone dance in a dark room. I loved the connection, I loved the music, I felt at home. Read more>>
Dena Halim
My journey with Luxury Esthetics Studio began in 2021 with a vision, determination, and a small space inside my spare bedroom. At the time, I didn’t have a large salon, a huge clientele, or all of the resources I have today. What I did have was a passion for the beauty industry and a desire to build something of my own. Read more>>
LaLa Cain
My Story: The Evolution of Poise Beauty Beauty has always been a part of my story. I grew up in the beauty industry, surrounded by women who taught me not only the business of beauty, but also the confidence, connection, and transformation that can happen through it. Read more>>
Anthony Pierce
Well I’ve always loved writing creative stories and making universes in my mind since I was young. The fact that I was one of four children and more on the introverted side I felt like I didn’t have many opportunities to feel heard and seen. Read more>>
Theresa Stone
I’ve been a dancer for my entire life. Since I was 2 years old, I’ve been in a life long relationship with dance. Growing up as a competitive dancer in Long Island, I made my way into the professional spectrum at 18, while also juggling college at the same time. Read more>>
Louis Calhoun II
Growing up in Detroit I was always a creative person. Now I have finally been able to display that creativity in a truly tangible way. I think that my years developing my art and basketball lead to what I have today with ‘The Shot’. Read more>>
Jordan DiMatteo Nathaniel Nieto
We started Xposure Triangle in June 2024. We already loved traveling and taking photos for fun, but eventually decided we wanted to build a business that allowed us to work on projects we genuinely cared about and see if we could turn it into a career. Read more>>
Abby Cushway
My journey with ceramics began long before I ever imagined it could become a career. I still remember the very first piece I made in first grade: a little standing cat sculpture. Since then, my love for clay—and cats—has only continued to grow. Read more>>
Jennifer Nowicki
My story with tea began more than 30 years ago, when specialty tea in the United States looked very different than it does today. I was already working in the gourmet and natural foods industry, and I became fascinated by how much depth existed within tea: the differences created by origin, terroir, cultivar, processing, craftsmanship, and the people behind it. That fascination eventually became expertise. Read more>>
Tyronda Sanford
Becoming TyOnTheBeat Sanford, where do I start? I was raised by a single mother who was highly into the world of beauty. I’m talking hair, makeup, fashion and I watched her with admiration growing up. I remember sneaking and wearing makeup at a very young age not knowing anything about it other than I loved it. Read more>>
Corinne Hersha
I actually started off photographing big traditional weddings! Over time though, I noticed a pattern. So many couples had family drama, stress about wedding expenses and planning, or just hated being the center of attention, and would end up saying they couldn’t wait to get the wedding over with. Read more>>
Joelle Andres
Bastian is a Hurricane Florence rescue who was found wading in the flood waters of the 2018 storm. Not long after, he was taken in by Burlington County Animal Alliance, where he was adopted by his current family in October 2018. When he was first adopted, he was skittish and suffered from separation anxiety. Read more>>
Sarah Allen
Beauty has been part of who I am for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I loved everything feminine—hair, nails, makeup and fashion. My mother had a subscription to Allure, and I would lie on the floor and read every issue from cover to cover. I wasn’t necessarily wearing or buying the designers I was reading about, but I studied them. Read more>>
Raquel Delly
My journey into real estate wasn’t something I had planned. At the time, I was working at Verizon when a few real estate agents I knew started encouraging me to get my license. I decided to take a chance on it, and looking back, that decision completely changed the direction of my life. What started as a new career opportunity quickly became something much bigger. Read more>>
Bianca Gomez
My entrepreneurial journey started long before I ever had the idea to open a business. It was 2011, I was in my early 20’s and had been struggling with chronic neurological pain for many years. I was exhausted—not only from the pain, but by the feeling of being stuck in an endless cycle of managing symptoms rather than actually healing. Read more>>
Joel Walkowski
Writing has always been a passion but a once promising career got derailed by addiction. I was 21 years old the first time I got published and nearly drinking myself to death by age 22. It was 14 years later, I was sitting in Recovery Groups and asked ‘what are your goals?’ I thought it’d be cool to write a book sober. Read more>>
JaVante Davis
My name is JaVante, I’m an R&B artist born and raised in Detroit, and honestly my journey with music has been a long one. It definitely didn’t happen overnight, and I’m still building. But when I look back at where I started compared to where I am now, I can see the growth. Music has always been bigger than just making songs for me. Read more>>
John Van Dyke
I’m an author. I’ve been in love with the written word since childhood. I finished my dissertation in 2010 and then began writing for publications across the spectrum. My first book, The Lindbergh Kidnapping and The Origin of the Viral Conspiracy Theory, was the result of an article that I wrote for Skeptic magazine. Read more>>
Ersin Tekin
My journey to where I am today started back in high school. That was when I first began painting graffiti as a way to express myself. Looking back, I think it was the spirit of hip-hop culture—its freedom, creativity, and authenticity—that had the biggest influence on me. What started as a simple passion for drawing gradually became the foundation of everything I do today. Read more>>
Adam Kenyon
MI Roller Derby, originally Mitten Kittens & spun off into the longest-running statewide annual playoff tournaments. It simultaneously functioned as an organizing force to help Michigan-based leagues to help coordinate their competition, scheduling. facilitate staff training and game opportunities, and sharing insights into operating their leauges. Read more>>
Andrea Petteway
Being a mom of 4 and a new military spouse has thrown many trials my way but i find myself to have the most strength in times of adversity. One day i woke up and decided I wanted to pour into me more individually and find a new way that I can contribute to my family financially while doing something I love. Read more>>
Jazmynn Rogers
Batter Kind really started from a combination of my love for cookies and becoming a mom. I’ve always loved a good cookie, but after having my daughter, I became much more intentional about the ingredients in the food we were eating. Read more>>
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>>
