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.
Tony & Melissa Griffin
The Raleigh Drum Circle teamed up with local hoop dance and fire performers and were a popular feature at First Friday Raleigh events for several years. The crowds loved the show and soon the Town of Cary invited One Tribe to become a part of their Cary Art Loop Final Friday events. The public can join in the drum circle on the last Friday of the month from March through October in downtown Cary. It’s a family-friendly gathering for our community. Read more>>
Better Known As Wade
I started as a creative entrepreneur at a very young age, trying to create t-shirt brands, making music in my grandparents garage, watching short films all day, deciding that I wanted to make them as well, and taking in all the skills that my family members had with what looked like little effort to me. Read more>>
Shanetta Hobbs
My journey into branding and design started in 2014 in a very simple way, which was helping upcoming businesses create their branding and marketing pieces, such as logos, business cards, and flyers. At the time, it was just something I did on the side to bring in extra income. I didn’t fully realize how meaningful it would become. Read more>>
Tracy Stuckrath
I’ve spent more than 30 years in the meetings and events industry, starting in event planning and eventually specializing in food and beverage. Read more>>
Kelly Hord
I met the Treglias late 2023 when I discovered them opening Plum Krazy Play. Read more>>
Amanda Cassella
I’m originally from Connecticut. My first job was in an ice cream shop, and I loved it! Ice cream was our family tradition and legacy, you could say – my mom’s first job was also in an ice cream shop, and so was my brother’s. Read more>>
Sharon Vilcins
1993 My husband and I started a company called New England Timber Works. We were located in Vermont at the time. Our company grew from being a local heavy timber manufacturer to servicing the US and some foreign countries. We outgrew our facility in Vermont both in size and in logistics. Read more>>
Laura Magruder
My name is Laura and I’m the owner of Prickly Pear Salon, a values-driven hair salon in Cary, North Carolina. I started cosmetology school back in 2010, when I was only 19. I always loved being creative and spent a lot of time in high school experimenting with my own hair or helping friends dye theirs. Read more>>
Alan Houfek
My Chiropractic experience began at age 12 when my neck got stuck to the side after hitting a bump in the school bus on the way to school. Read more>>
Katherine Perez
We (my husband Victor and I) opened La Mar Salada almost three years ago with every intention of being a small gourmet speciality market specifically featuring Spanish offerings. My husband migrated from Spain over a decade ago and we had always struggled to find Spanish good outside of Spain and the internet and so we thought, why not open something up ourselves? Read more>>
Dawn Killam
Thank you much for your interest in our studio American Ballroom! My Husband and I have been teaching dancing our whole lives and never had any other careers. This was our first joint venture together 15 years ago so it is very special to us! Read more>>
Samm Sawyer Jamar
I grew up in a small town in North Carolina in an entrepreneurial household, so running a business always felt familiar to me. Watching my dad build and manage his own company gave me an early understanding of what ownership really looks like, including the long hours, the responsibility, and the pride that comes with building something that lasts. Read more>>
Reneisha Black
I founded TruSolace Counseling and Wellness Center on May 5, 2023, in response to a critical need for accessible, high-quality mental health care for girls and women of color. After attending a symposium highlighting the disparities in services available to women of color, I was inspired to create a safe haven dedicated to healing, empowerment, and whole-person wellness. Read more>>
Brittany Sandefur
I participated in my first protest when I was a senior in high school. We walked out in protest against the Iraq war and were suspended. Like a lot of young people, college was the first place where I got to meet all kinds of people who were different from me – from different countries, different religions, backgrounds, etc. I got involved in everything. Read more>>
Vladimir Silickiy
I started my career in Ukraine at the top IT company in the country. I was always curious about how software is built, and my sister, who was already working in tech, helped me get into the field. I began as a QA engineer, but pretty quickly I realized I was interested in more than testing. Read more>>
Paula Crozier
When people ask how I arrived at ACCESS of Wilmington, I tell them it was both a professional progression and a deeply personal calling. My career has been rooted in executive leadership across advertising, marketing, nonprofit development, strategic planning, brand growth, and organizational transformation. Read more>>
John Woodall
I was living in New York when 9/11 happened and watched the towers fall. My father was a Raleigh Fire Captain and became the liason between NC and NY to help the FDNY as they began burying the 345 firefighters (343 on duty and two off duty) who died. Read more>>
Chakshu Agrawal
I alongwith my Sibling Paras Singh bring our shared passion for hospitality and Indian cuisine to Urban Angeethi. As the owners of Urban Angeethi, our journey has been built on passion, perseverance, and a deep love for authentic Indian cuisine. Urban Angeethi was born from a simple yet powerful vision — to elevate traditional Indian flavors into a refined, contemporary dining experience without losing authenticity. Read more>>
Olga Urick
Ukranian-born pianist and pedagogue, Olga Urick, is a passionate teacher whose primary goal is to prepare her students for independent careers in the performance of the classical piano. Mrs. Urick’s love and dedication to the professional study of music began at an early age. Graduating with gold medal distinction from Music School at the age of 16. Read more>>
Hunter Shelly
Art has always been part of my life. I have always drawn and made things, even before I understood what it meant to take it seriously. In 2016, I was immersed in the fine art community while living in Asheville, North Carolina, and everything shifted. I was exposed to the discipline and depth of representational painting and I was hooked. Read more>>
James Reid
Professionally I go by DJ Tech Rich. I’ve been DJing for about 8 years now. I originally picked it up as a hobby, but the more I practiced, the better I became and was able to transition it into a career. Read more>>
Desiree Perry
I have always been fascinated by birth and had always looked forward to birthing my own children. I decided to take the plunge on becoming a doula after speaking with a local doula and realizing that the role of a doula fulfilled a lot of my natural inclinations and giftings to encourage, support, empathize, and help others. Read more>>
Chris Griffith
Before Onelife, I was a General Manager of a Retail Store that was partnered with Onelife Fitness. I used to go regulary and setup my promotional table at the gym. Over time the GM and AGM had asked me if I wanted a job. I originally turned them down. After a month of them asking, I finally took them up on the offer. Read more>>
Charita Muhammad
THE BEGINNING…I have been dancing since I was 3 and went to Marie Wildey School of Dance when I was 7 years old. I stayed with Marie Wildey for 10 years. My loyalty to the art of dance began the minute I realized I was good at expressing myself with the use of movement. Read more>>
Katrina Marler
Absolutely. My journey into this field has truly been a heartfelt one—shaped by passion, sacrifice, resilience, and an unwavering desire to help others. I’ve spent over 10 years in Applied Behavior Analysis, working in a variety of settings and roles, including classroom environments across different educational levels. Read more>>
Asceline OShaughnessy
My husband and I PCS’d from a duty station in Louisiana to Fayetteville, North Carolina, in August 2019 due to his military service. Shortly before that move, my nail journey began in July 2019 during a season of major transition and starting over. What began as a creative outlet quickly grew into something I wanted to build into a meaningful and lasting career. Read more>>
Tamara Brogan
My story with Family Promise of Lee County started back in 2010. At that time, there was a growing amount of families in our community experiencing homelessness. Our mayor at the time, Cornelia Olive, was concerned about the growing need and invited Family Promise National to come down and give a presentation. Read more>>
Haley Kutner
My path to becoming a clinical psychologist hasn’t been linear, but when I look back at the defining moments in my life, they all stem from the same core instinct: a desire to understand people and help them find purpose and meaning in their lives. As a child, I imagined I would grow up to be an artist. Read more>>
David Hersh
We started the mobile petting Zoo in 2020. We’ve been in the entertainment business since 2008. We have Inflatables for rent. We perform Magic shows and we have artist that perform face painting and balloon twisting. We thought having a petting zoo would fit there nicely with our other businesses. Now in 2026 we are the number one mobile petting zoo. Read more>>
Virdy Bizzelle
We are ‘End Time Crusaders for Christ Ministries.’ Warm Body Warm Soul Help Center, a nonprofit organization, was birthed from this ministry. We got started by connecting with Diane Smith, founder of ‘Doing Church Right’ in 2021, during the Pandemic. She put us on the right path by educating and providing resources we needed to expand our vision. Ms. Read more>>
Robin Zwilling
I became a licensed massage therapist in NYC in 2005. Started with working a boutique gym as a personal trainer and practiced massage while I was in school studying to get my license, so I really loved working with anatomy and kinesiology and everything just connected with training certain muscle groups and studying those topics in massage school. Read more>>
Dr. Lorraine Wilson Batts
I’m a Raleigh native, and nursing has honestly been part of my story for as long as I can remember. I knew at a young age that I wanted to care for people. I attended Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School in the Health Sciences track, where I became a Certified Nursing Assistant through a collaboration with Wake Technical Community College. Read more>>
Nestor Vargas
Deals On Wheels is a company that was founded on 1981 as a salvage shop. For more than four decades, we have strived to provide our customers with an exceptional experience in the auto salvage industry. Read more>>
Jhonny Delgado
I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, surrounded by the incredible flavors of Peruvian cuisine like rocoto peppers, ají amarillo, fresh ceviche, and that unmistakable heat that makes every bite come alive. At 15, my life changed dramatically when my parents decided to move our family to the United States. Read more>>
Ellen E. Elliott, PhD
What is now Four Directions Counseling & Recovery Center was previously owned by a wonderful therapist I was privileged to know for many years. I took ownership in 2002, just after completing graduate school. That wasn’t something I planned, but the opportunity presented itself, and I am so grateful. Read more>>
Shineece Sellars
My journey has been shaped by a deep respect for legacy, how it’s built, protected, and passed on. I have always had a connection to family and honoring my ancestors, which lead me into a career in finance. I found myself drawn to understanding how we could better make use of savings. As we were taught how to save and not to invest. Read more>>
Zach Perry
The first time I filmed something was using a GoPro while attending a Gospel-driven camp during a summer in high school. Though it did not have a screen where I could see what it was recording, I had the best time capturing the whole week and what our group did. Read more>>
Michael Rubes
The Friends of the Page-Walker started around 1985 as a citizen led effort to save the historic Walker Hotel in downtown Cary. The Friends evolved from the Cary Historical Society, which had been founded in the late 1960s. Once The Friends were established, the Cary Historical Society was absorbed into The Friends, making The Friends of the Page-Walker Cary’s historical society. Read more>>
Corinna Dunn
My journey started with a simple but powerful realization: healing is possible, and we don’t talk about it enough. Like a lot of people, I’ve navigated seasons of growth, reinvention, and learning how to prioritize my mental and physical health in a real way — not just the curated version. Read more>>
Walt Brown
I started my career the way many entrepreneurs do — by building and running a company of my own. I experienced firsthand the chaos, confusion, and personal weight that comes with leading people when roles aren’t clear, accountability is uneven, and culture feels intangible. Eventually, I founded and scaled a business, then successfully exited. Read more>>
Sheena Lewis
Losing both parents in a short time, quickly changes one’s perspective about life. I realized just how mortal we are, and how we can SPEND the most of our time doing things we don’t love, or even like. I was successful by most people’s standard, but I hated my job. Read more>>
Bethany Gridley
I was a Division I collegiate athlete who majored in exercise science, and movement has been part of my identity for as long as I can remember. I have played sports since kindergarten and started weightlifting in eighth grade. After earning my undergraduate degree, I went on to physician assistant school, blending my passion for performance with a deeper understanding of the human body. Read more>>
Derek Schmitt
Hello! I’m Derek Schmitt, the proud owner and operator of Lawn Island Lawn Care, LLC. Originally from Long Island, New York, I made the big leap to North Carolina in 2016 with my wonderful wife, Heather Schmitt. Read more>>
James Walters
Morning light hits the pavement before it hits the houses. When I was fifteen, I asked my younger siblings to stand still in the street while I drew chalk smiles where their faces would have been. Their shadows stretched across the asphalt, long and featureless. Read more>>
Vanessa M. Campbell, DDS
I first fell in love with dentistry when I was in high school and I had the opportunity to work with my orthodontist as an intern. I thought I might just shadow a bit in the afternoons, stand by and watch and take notes. Instead she told me that she would pay me because I was going to work! Read more>>
Shane Varner
I grew up in a small town and always had a love for art. But honestly, even though I was passionate about it, I never really thought I could make a career of it. While I was in college, people began asking me to design their tattoos. Read more>>
gerry dawson
began writing songs in high school, gigs followed, songs morphed into poems & posters &, eventually painting & print-making, all an ongoing pursuits Read more>>
