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.
Keaton Brown
My journey with music started when I was in high school, making music in my home studio, East End Studio, with my brother Brad. That’s where I really fell in love with the process of creating music, experimenting with different sounds, and turning real-life experiences into songs. Read more>>
Tacara Cannady
My story with Top Tier Construction of Raleigh, LLC is really a story of taking a vision and turning it into something tangible. I’ve always had a natural connection to real estate, design, and the built environment. Read more>>
Gloria Lewis
Kitt’s Kandy Shop® began in 2021 from a desire to create skincare that approached everyday care differently. What started on a small scale quickly developed into a much larger vision for a brand centered on quality formulations, effective skincare, and an experience that customers could recognize as distinctly Kitt’s Kandy Shop. As the business grew, so did my vision for it. Read more>>
Heidi Mao
Brecotea was founded in 2020 in Cary, North Carolina. At the time, there were very few Asian bakery options in the area. Having grown up in Asia, our founders shared a deep love for the treats they grew up with—soft, airy breads, delicate, lightly sweetened desserts, and signature beverages like boba milk tea. Read more>>
Jalen Ventrone
I’ve always been someone who knew I wanted to create a life that felt like mine, even if I didn’t always know exactly what that would look like. I became a licensed cosmetologist in 2018 and originally started in hair, but about a year in, I found waxing and something just clicked. Read more>>
Philllip Lang
I have always worked with my hands. My father was a carpenter, and my grandmother was an antique dealer who was constantly repairing, refinishing, painting, and restoring furniture for her store. Growing up, I was always surrounded by people who knew how to build things, fix things, and bring worn or forgotten pieces back to life. Read more>>
Raphael Nieto
I’m a product designer, entrepreneur, and startup mentor with roughly 10 years of experience building digital products for startups and larger companies, including Apple. About seven years into my design career, I opened Daa! Dumplings, a Russian dumpling restaurant in New York City. Read more>>
lavesh pritmani
Lavesh started teaching Bhangra folk dance in NC at Natya Academy when he was 18 years old. Over 10 years, he taught thousands of students and created numerous competitive teams, who won competitions across North America. As he was transitioning to a new job in New York City, he went digital with Bhangra dance by launching the Learn Bhangra App and Learn Bhangra YouTube channel. Read more>>
Sonya Dadzie
My Story Believe it or not, my journey into barbering started with some clippers we found underneath a bathroom sink. I was around 15 or 16 years old, and my cousin Isaiah needed a haircut. He wore his hair curly on top, which was the style back then, and I told him I would try cutting the sides. Read more>>
Dori Bishara
I’m an Iowa girl with an international heart. With a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Art History, I made my way from Iowa City to Las Vegas to Portland, Oregon, with stints in retail management at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art and the Portland Art Museum. Read more>>
Kelly Lewis
I’ve always been someone with a lot of different interests, so I can’t really point to one specific moment and say that’s where my story started. A lot of my life hasn’t gone according to some big plan. I’ve changed directions, had things not work out, started over, and had to figure things out as I went. Read more>>
Rene Olmos
I’m originally from El Salvador, and I believe my passion for filmmaking began at a very young age. I would sneak out my grandparents’ camcorder and make short films with my younger brother and his friends as the actors. I later moved to North Carolina after my mom married my step-father who is from the state. Read more>>
Eric Woods
My Father was into cameras. When I was in grade school I took a liking to his Polaroid SX-70. That is when he bought my first camera, a Polaroid One Step, and kept me stocked with film and flashes. Have always had a camera ever since. Then when he purchased a Pentax ME Super he taught me how to use it. Read more>>
Latrice McFadden
My journey into real estate actually started with a simple suggestion. Before we were married, my now-husband said to me, “You should get your real estate license.” I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, so my response was basically, “Okay!” I got my license in 1997, and as they say, the rest is history. Read more>>
Stephanie Woodbeck
Dr. Green’s somatics class was a turning point for me — it sparked a lasting curiosity about how the body actually works and how that informs technique Read more>>
Jacob Trump
Phew! Where to begin?! Think it’s safe to say that my story is definitely a bit non-traditional when it comes to becoming an Illustrator and Visual Storyteller. Read more>>
Lance Felder
We didn’t start with a million-dollar idea. We started with a decision. My wife Monica and I wanted something different for our family. For years, I had been working regular jobs while also learning how to build an online business through AMWAY. That experience taught me something important: you don’t have to wait for someone to give you an opportunity—you can create one. Read more>>
Rachelle Rutter
From a young age, I always loved all things beauty. But I was also taught to choose a career that would be sustainable — something that would let me always provide for myself. I went to college for five semesters and was about to enter dental hygiene school when I realized my passions weren’t aligning with my vision. Read more>>
Forrest Mason
I was born and raised by hippies by the Haw River outside of Carrboro, NC. When I was growing up my parents had a giant garden and we raised chickens, both for eggs and as “meat birds”. Read more>>
Claudia Almeida
My path to becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner was anything but linear, and I think that is part of what makes me the clinician I am today. I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and eventually built my life and career in the United States. Read more>>
Triana Kraitz
I would say my story began long before I ever imagined coming to the United States. I grew up in a family where education was deeply valued. My mother was one of my greatest inspirations, and my grandmother was an English teacher who strongly believed in the power of education and in learning a second language. Read more>>
Aaron Mullen
My story originates from humble beginnings, like most. I was just a small-town kid with big-city dreams and a battery placed in my back to be great. My mom built a career in marketing and entrepreneurship, while my dad built his career around art and graphic design. Those two literally made a baby and somehow passed down all of their superpowers to me. Read more>>
China Crawford
My journey to The Luxe Experience Salon & Spa is honestly something I never planned. It started more out of necessity and survival than entrepreneurship. Growing up without my mom, I didn’t really have someone to teach me how to care for my hair or do the things many girls learn from their mothers. Read more>>
Wady Santos
I was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States at 19 years old. My journey as a barber actually began back home, where my uncle first introduced me to cutting hair. At 21, I decided to take the craft seriously, attended Pitt Community College, and after graduating, spent two years working in a local barbershop and learning the business. Read more>>
Paula Alford
I started **Paula’s Pawsome Pets (P3)** after leaving Duke Medical School, where I had worked as a Program Coordinator for 15 years. After that many years, I knew I was ready for a change, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that change was going to look like. From around September through November of 2022, I tried a little bit of everything. Read more>>
Julianna Richards
As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to make music. When I was little I had a book of songs I wrote, a drum kit, and some mismatched guitars my dad and brother had collected. I’d rally my friends and we’d have “band practice”. Read more>>
Heavenly McFadden
I started my cosmetology journey in 2018 as a stylist at a local hair cutting chain. I honestly loved it and thought that growing within that company was the peak for my beauty career, but God definitely had bigger plans for me. After 2 years with the company and moving into management COVID hit and several things began changing in my life. Read more>>
Trevor Dostie
Below is an excerpt from our website… the origin story but so much has happened since – my business partner is truly the face of the business and the one who would be best to call and speak to 207 313 0555. Read more>>
Dana McBride
I was born and raised in Greensboro, NC, and was bitten by the acting bug at the age of seven when my mother relented and registered me for acting classes. I went on to act in school plays until graduating high school. Read more>>
Sarah Rhodes
I started riding when I was 2 years old around Winston Salem with my great uncle. My love of horses started there and my parents bought my first horse when I was 4. Because we were new we started taking lessons at a local facility in Waxhaw, NC and that lead to horse shows, rodeos, and trail riding. Read more>>
Christian Howes
I started out as a classically trained violinist in Columbus, Ohio, but pretty early on I became fascinated with everything the violin could do outside of traditional classical music. I wanted to improvise, play jazz, blues, rock, and different styles from around the world. At the time, there weren’t many clear pathways for a string player who wanted to do that. Read more>>
Lindsey Lambert
I’ve always been the one with a camera in hand, even back as a kid. Some of my favorite memories are sitting around after family gatherings, pulling out the photo albums and going through every single picture with whoever would sit still long enough. Photography was never really a ‘someday’ thing for me, it was just always there. Read more>>
Chelsie Wallis
From the moment I picked up my first camera at the age of 11, I felt a spark ignite within me, a passion for capturing life’s moments and telling stories through images. Throughout high school, I channeled that passion into yearbook photography, eagerly documenting the milestones and adventures of my classmates. Read more>>
Moriah Brown
My photography journey started in 2015 after my grandfather, Joseph S. Brown, unexpectedly passed away and I inherited his camera equipment. He loved taking pictures simply because he loved capturing memories. I started using his equipment to photograph events at church and take a few business headshots, but photography was still just something I enjoyed. Read more>>
Melissa Brown
I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest prized possessions was actually a Blue’s Clues notebook my dad gave me when I was a kid, which I carried around absolutely everywhere and filled with drawings until it was basically falling apart. So naturally, that’s how serious artists are made. Read more>>
Sean Sherrod
My name is Sean Sherrod, and I’m the Owner of Sherrod Music Agency. Which Is an Independent Record Label. I am also a Music Manager and A&R Consultant. I scout Music Artists to get them ready for Major Labels. I also offer Management Services, Marketing, Major Label meetings, Artist Development and much more Read more>>
Wyatt Crabtree
I’m a working musician, a one man band with the stage name Joe’s Cousin. What started as a hobby has turned in to a full time profession. I started playing open mics and farmers markets and now keep up a fairly extensive tour schedule playing over 100 shows a year in multiple states and markets. Read more>>
