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.

Helene Headington

I’m often asked why did I choose the name Sweet Pea Waxing Boutique? I wanted a name that honored women and highlighted the female anatomy. In “wax world” flowers are used to represent the female genitalia. After researching hundreds of flowers I chose the Sweet Pea flower because of it’s visual similarity to the vulva…and also Sweet Pea is often used as a term of endearment. It’s turned out to be the perfect name. Read More>>

Shaun Jay

Fast forward nine years. Between the initial Ringling Brothers experience and the age of 12, I would periodically visit my cousin at family gatherings who knew a few beginner magic tricks. He wasn’t a professional by any means, but knew enough to get by. This ended up being one of the highlights of my time visiting family as I always looked forward to these impromptu casual performances. These memories stuck with me and the love for astonishment always existed in the back of my mind. Read More>>

Michael Eley, Jr.

Throughout my high school years, Dr. Holloway became a pivotal mentor in my ministry journey, offering unwavering support and ultimately naming me a Son of the Church. After graduating from Wakefield High School in 2014, I pursued higher education at Hampton University in Hampton, VA, where I earned my degree in 2018. Faced with the decision to remain in Virginia or return home, I felt led to attend Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, NC. Read More>>

Marquise Peoples

Getting accepted into North Carolina A&T State University and transferring form the Art Institute changed my life. The instructors were amazing and pushed their students to creatively design. Being at North Carolina A&T State University and trusting God, I decided to step out on faith and start my own brand. In 2020, my brand Monsieur, started with hats, sunglasses and T shirts. Although sales were great, I eventually took a break from Monsieur to focus on school and work. Fast-forward to 2024, I decided to relaunch the brand due to consistent request and personal desire, ready for this new journey and looking forward to what lies ahead. Read More>>

Lorraine James

After graduating and passing my state board exam, I applied to work at a local natural hair salon. This felt like a second leap of faith, because I was going from a “steady paycheck with benefits” to a career where everything is based on how many clients you see. With encouragement from family and friends, I went for it. It was here that I put my new skills to the test, and learned even more about the natural hair world. In the first few months of my time there, I often found myself thinking, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” It quickly became obvious to me that I was doing exactly what I was called to do. Read More>>

Adrien King

Building Aktivate during the pandemic was not a smooth journey. We attempted to lease several spaces but faced challenges. However, we remained optimistic, and that’s when we discovered our home in Cary. After securing our location, the buildout process began. Although our opening was delayed by a few months, we ultimately succeeded in opening our doors. Read More>>

Camila Hargett

Grad school wasn’t just about earning a degree; it was about sharpening my ability to analyze businesses, identify growth opportunities, and develop actionable strategies. Then, I launched Sezhel Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping small and minority-owned businesses become sustainable and profitable. I recognized a major gap in accessible, high-quality business strategy, so I built my firm around data-driven decision-making, financial analysis, and compliance. Read More>>

Aaron Hornstra

After graduation, I successfully landed an internship at Stanford University’s Strength and Conditioning department. It was an incredible experience, but I quickly realized the reality of the field—demanding hours, limited growth opportunities, and a lifestyle that wasn’t quite the right fit for me. Shortly after, I had the opportunity for another internship at Duke’s Center for Living, which introduced me to the Raleigh area and more of Exercise Physiologist’s role for the first time. Little did I know, it would eventually become home! Read More>>

Jamilah “jay” Worley

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been the organized, rational one in my friend groups and family. As a kid, I was the one who would strategize the logistics of getting somewhere—how we’d get there and what the plan was once we arrived. You remember that age of parent drop offs? Haha. So I’ve always been resourceful and loved connecting with people, creating experiences and just celebrating life. Read More>>

Sajdah Ali

I began my business in 2014 working parttime as a personal consultant for private and charter schools. While working in the school system, I saw how the lack of equity and inclusion for students with disabilities was more and more prevalent but not evenly handled. Therefore, I wanted to make a difference and improve the situation that families were experiencing in this area, at least locally, by providing schools guidance and direction on how to improve their education programs. This soon became a role that expanding throughout states and, eventually, internationally. Soon, consulting on specialized education branched off into workforce development, staff training and program development. Read More>>

Taylor Sharp

I’ve always had a do-it-yourself attitude towards my music, so rather than take the traditional route of assembling a group of musicians and going to a producer, I preferred to record the songs track by track in my home studio and mix them myself. It’s a lot of fun being able to come up with a part for every instrument on the songs, and it’s convenient to be able to work on these projects whenever I want at home. It wouldn’t have been possible to do it this way years ago so I’m glad technology has come so far. Read More>>

Katie Kilgore

The early days began with the initial writing of a business plan and acquiring an SBA loan which definitely was not an easy task. Once the doors of Fount opened, we worked crazy hours to operate the cafe and were both exhilarated and exhausted by the uphill climb of managing a restaurant, our team members, and perfecting our craft whether we be on the line in the kitchen, pulling shots as a barista, washing dishes, or engaging with guests at the register. COVID of course brought its own set of challenges but we are grateful for the ways it forced us to quickly get innovative and the opportunities it led us to explore such as online ordering and curbside pick up which we continue to have available today. Read More>>

Diamond Gist

Every road isn’t going to be peaches and cream, it’s up to you to put in that work and to have that drive to stay motivated no matter what obstacles are thrown your way. Having to save up to even start my business fresh out of high school was a struggle. Building my business from the ground up with no mentors.. no one to ask questions I was my own trial and error. Sometimes people don’t even talk about this as a business owner but also trying to gain and maintain your clientele. Read More>>

Amanda Kozloski

Rebuilding myself in Raleigh is definitely not the easiest having just moved here, as the market is more saturated with large chains. I moved to Raleigh not having known anyone except my fiancé and his family, so connections are harder to make as a newbie in the area! However, I am confident with time and patience, good things will come. Read More>>

Lauren Lankshear

Over time, more and more people started asking when I was going to open a nutrition club in our community—somewhere local where they could grab a healthy option without having to travel far. After talking it over with my husband and deciding it was the right move for our family, we took the leap and opened Farmhouse Nutrition together, involving our three children in the journey as well. Read More>>

Delayna Robbins

Surrealism has always been present in my work, even before I had the language to define it. When I came across Afro-Surrealism in an article, it was like finding a mirror—I recognized myself in the genre and saw reflections of my own artistic instincts. Around the same time, the world was experiencing the weight of racial injustice, especially with the murder of George Floyd and the BLM movement. I was deeply affected, seeing so many Black men and women killed without justice. I needed to counter that pain with something meaningful, so I created a series that became a love letter to my community—a way to uplift, empower, and show positive representation of Black identity. Read More>>

Moriah Brown

A major source of inspiration for me has been my cousin, Fallon, the founder of By Justine, a natural skincare brand. Watching her build her business from the ground up—attending local vendor events, creating a strong brand, and staying committed to her dream—has been incredibly motivating. I even had the opportunity to support her at events and model for one of her brand photoshoots. Seeing her determination showed me that with hard work and persistence, growth is inevitable. Read More>>

Leslie Philip

Starting a business from an idea takes guts and grit, and a little luck. Starting the Café was exciting and seeing the customers come in the door was gratifying, but in managing the back of the house I felt like a fire fighter – always putting them out. Managing people, suppliers, equipment and building issues, all added up to learning experiences and understanding where to put efforts to get through the day. Read More>>

Deysean “dk” Kelly

All until one day my homie “Lil Skii” called me and said ” I don’t know why I’m telling you this but whatever your thinking about doing just do it” this was a clear sign from GOD I started taking action with what I wanted to achieve in life. That was all the motivation I needed I started putting myself more out there to the community and started to taking my content creation more seriously with that start my own podcast called “Real Over Fakes Podcast” where no matter who you are and what we’re talking about we always keep real and authentic. Read More>>

Chris Creech

We’ve continued to expand on our offerings at our bottle shop taproom, and we have since added a small amount of wholesale distribution of our beers in the Triangle area. We also opened a second taproom in Downtown Durham, adjacent to Durham Central Park. That taproom is more singularly focused on the beers we are making, highlighting all of the one-off and experimental beers we are brewing. Read More>>

Whitney Perkins

In 2017, I started La Bél Aesthetics inside a nail salon in Durham, NC, while still working as a massage therapist and esthetician at another company. I knew I wanted to create something of my own, but choosing the right name was important to me. I wanted it to reflect beauty—not just in the physical sense, but in the way people see themselves. So many individuals walk through life unaware of their strength and the beauty they carry inside and out. That’s why I chose “La Bél,” which means “beautiful” in Haitian Creole. My goal is to inspire people to embrace their beauty, confidence, and self-worth. Read More>>

Latika Skinner

Looking back, I tried to handle everything in my own strength, only to burn myself out. I struggled with seeking God first before making business decisions, all while juggling the demands of everyday life. Fast forward to today, becoming a wife and a mother has made things even more challenging. Maintaining a successful business or stepping into something new is never easy. But when you have a clear purpose and understand why you’re doing it, that purpose keeps you moving forward. Read More>>

Ali Williams

I discovered that experiential learning not only worked really well for me, but I was really good at facilitating it. I saw the transformative power of doing hard things in beautiful places with fellow adventurers. I saw it happen in other people and I experienced it myself. It brings us connection with nature, connection with self and with community. It transforms us into more resilient, more empathetic, humble and awestruck versions of ourselves. It felt like a brief, shallow glimpse into what life could be like as a wild human. Read More>>

Kayla Tew

My 2023 was great and I had a ton of fun working the job that wasn’t ever a job for me, and then January 2024 happened. Unfortunately, in January of 2024, I was diagnosed with Stage 1c Yolk sac cancer. January is often a slow month for my business and I already expected it to be a little quieter, but little did I know I would be out of work for so long. Throughout basically 7 months of treatment and several complications, I came out on the other side stronger than before. I was kept upright during this time by my family, and also by my amazing clients who showered me with kindness and love the entire time. Read More>>

Jessi Hamilton

No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Building Daily Sprinkles while raising three kids under four has been a challenge in itself—juggling nap times with dough rising and baking in the quiet hours of the night. On top of that, being a military spouse comes with its own obstacles, from constant moves to navigating deployments alone. There have been moments of exhaustion and doubt, but my passion for creating high-quality gluten-free treats and serving this community keeps me going. Every challenge has only strengthened my commitment to making sure no one feels left out when it comes to good food. Read More>>

Jonathan Harrison

As we dove into the world of content creation, we quickly realized it wasn’t just about making videos or posting photos. It became a shared experience, one that strengthened our family bond while allowing us to create something meaningful. The process of brainstorming, filming, and editing together was not only fun but also educational for all of us. The more we explored this new venture, the more we realized how much of an impact we could have by simply showcasing the simple joys of family life through games, laughter, and creativity. Read More>>

Lisa Harris

I became a full-time hospital pharmacist, with a large art hobby. Now that my 5 children are adults, and I am doing pharmacy, part time, I have more time to work on art. I have a side hustle-Triangle Face Painting. I graduated from an online face painting school. I also have been completing an online art mastery program, Milan Art Institute. My work has improved, dramatically, with those programs. I am currently building my portfolio, and regularly sell my paintings. I face paint at A Verde restaurant, in Cary every Thursday night from 5-9 pm, kids ages 10 and under eat for 99 cents, and have a great time getting painted faces (or hands/arms). Read More>>

Leslie Jespersen

I got pregnant young, got married, and settled into the white picket fence life, thinking I was doing what I was supposed to do. But deep down, I felt like I had lost myself. Then life hit hard. A natural disaster took everything we had. I became a single mom when I found out my husband had been having affairs. Staring at the wreckage – both literally and metaphorically, realizing that I had a choice: I could either let life happen to me, or I could take control and rebuild something better. Read More>>

Ty Mckenzie

I think some of my biggest struggles came with being lost within who i was a person internally. I let a ex boyfriend in LA control like half of my life and at one point i was homeless in Los Angeles couch crashing at different friends houses with one suitcase until i saved up enough to buy a plane ticket back home. My best friend at the time let me move in with him when i got back to NC and we both worked at papa John’s running two different stores until we finally saved enough to get our own place. Read More>>

Stephen Butts Ii

We raise strawberries in the spring, various produce in the spring and summer and pumpkins in the fall. Very labor intensive work. We also raise different varieties of grasses at the nursery. I am also a full time fireman for the Town of Fuquay-Varina. I have three sons, 18 year old twins and a 13 year-old. They have grown up on the farm and hopefully have learned valuable lessons that will help them in life. As you can see it is a very busy life. Read More>>

Phoebe Guice

I received a concentration in metalsmithing and jewelry design; alongside metals class, I took classes in fibers, welding, photography, and printmaking. After graduating, I moved to Grenville, SC and started painting again and began posting on my Instagram @pguiceart. Painting was a way for me to explore my creative passions outside the teaching environment. I started getting more followers and grew my client base through social media. I began creating and selling portraits of people and their pets. In August of 2021, I moved to Raleigh, NC for an art teaching position at St. Timothy’s Episcopal School. I continue accepting new commissions and exploring in my daily practice of art and painting. Read More>>