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.
Gibran McNeal
I’ve always had a passion for creativity and the arts. From a young age, I enjoyed designing, building, and bringing ideas to life, which naturally led me to pursue a career in graphic design and visual communications. My educational journey took me through Fayetteville State University and The Art Institute of Washington before earning my Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Southern New Hampshire University. Read more>>
kelsi suh
I was born in South Korea and moved to the United States when I was 14 years old. At that age, you’re still figuring out who you are, and suddenly I was learning a new language, adapting to a different culture, and trying to find my place. Read more>>
Cal Cates
In 2004, I was in massage therapy school and I was providing massage therapy for my grandfather in a skilled nursing facility at what turned out to be the moment of his death. He had been in a lot of pain and was moaning on each exhale and grimacing upon each inhale. Read more>>
Mitchell Dorsey
I started my hospitality career in New York City at the Intercontinental Barclay Hotel as a front desk agent and worked my way up to duty manager. I then moved to the Carlyle Hotel in the upper east side where I worked as the assistant front office manager. Read more>>
Ryan Dalton
I took the long way into software. I grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia and spent about ten years driving tractor-trailer. It’s what I watched my dad do my whole life. I hauled everything from drilling casing to lumber to saltwater. It was a good living, but the ceiling was low. Read more>>
Stephanie Shahan
Please take a moment to read “Our story” on our website at https://faireislestrading.com/pages/our-story. It provides the first chapter of our story, and I’ll pick up where it left off. After taking over the company, my husband and I continued the festival circuit with our son Aden and daughter Emily, with the help of friends and family. Read more>>
Stacy Harksen
One thing I’ve always loved is baking. I’ve been baking cheesecakes for 35 to 40 years now, and even when I was making desserts for family and friends, I knew I wanted to own my own business someday. When I moved to Portsmouth in 2017, I purchased a house built in the early 1900s and completely renovated it. Read more>>
Courtney Clark
I am the owner of Glazed & Confused, a small-batch bakery in Winchester, Virginia, specializing in gluten-free donuts and breakfast items. Since opening in 2021, we have grown from a traditional bakery to a dedicated resource for the gluten-free community. Read more>>
Gayle Alexander
I went back to grad school when my three kids were little to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I met my business partner and we founded Project SAFE: Strategies Aimed at Family Empowerment to help kids, teens, young adults, parents and families empower themselves to solve problems through individual, family and group therapy. Read more>>
Shanay Butler
My journey started in 2015 from a simple desire: I wanted to build something of my own while still being present for my daughter. As a single mom, flexibility mattered, but so did doing work that I genuinely loved. Read more>>
Shahriar Bayat
My journey didn’t start the way most people would expect. I went to college to become a laboratory technician, but the moment I started my first job, surrounded by nothing but microscopes, I knew it wasn’t for me. Read more>>
Chemise Taylor
My story begins in Detroit, Michigan, where I was raised by a supportive community that instilled in me the values of hard work, perseverance, and pride in what you do. Detroit has a strong blue-collar spirit, and those lessons have stayed with me throughout my life and career. Read more>>
Shruti Sagar
My entrepreneurial journey began with a simple goal: to build a business that provides reliable, personalized services to the local community. After spending years observing how small businesses and individuals often struggled to find flexible shipping, printing, and business support services, I saw an opportunity to create a one-stop solution. Read more>>
Marcus Toler
I’ve always been wired to connect people. My entrepreneurial journey started back in the MySpace era, before social media marketing was even called social media marketing. I was throwing events, promoting parties, building audiences, and learning in real time how attention, trust, and community could turn into opportunity. Read more>>
Matthew Wilson
After graduating from Shenandoah University with a business degree focused in marketing, I found myself trying to answer a pretty simple question: how do I combine my passion for creating, my passion for helping people, and the degree I just spent four years earning? That question eventually turned into Hustle Productions. When I first started, it was really focused on videography and photography. Read more>>
Alondra Sotomayor
I moved to Virginia in 2013 from Puerto Rico, and in 2015 I met my husband. Together, we started our photography and video business, Alondra Photography. In the beginning, we focused mainly on providing services for social events such as weddings, quinceañeras, and other special occasions. We also offered outdoor photo sessions. Read more>>
Nohraima Elias Flores
I’m not sure if it’s relevant to mention this, but before becoming an event decorator, I actually worked as a Spanish teacher and I hold a degree in Civil Engineering. Life has a funny way of taking us in directions we never expected. My journey as an event decorator started in Sweden. Read more>>
Deanna Stewart
My journey into construction began long before I ever owned a company. I grew up in Massachusetts, where my parents owned a successful construction and excavation business. As a teenager, I worked in the family business handling payroll and administrative duties, learning firsthand the value of hard work, customer service, and running a successful company. Read more>>
DJ Sleep Ez
Well my story no different then most but its definitely an authentic one. I’m come from the struggle and I dabble into the drug dealer lifestyle. Wasn’t the plugged like most people claim they were 😂 but was moving weed like it wasn’t nothing. Read more>>
Suzie Q Grumko
I spent over 30 years in the wine industry, both in the US and the UK. After early retirement, I learned about the co-op and new I wanted to be a part of a store that shared my values. I started as the wine buyer, and when the previous General Manager moved on, the board appointed me as his replacement. Read more>>
Dr. Femi Obasun
Through education and hard work! And believing In God and having faith. My last doctoral at Liberty University of two and PhD propel my business into new heights financially and giving us a mission driven organization at The Elms of Lynchburg an award winning 2026 best of Lynchburg and Virginia assist living and memory care, is an 25000 sq foot facility! Read more>>
Eugene B. Smith
My third-grade teacher, Mrs. Frey, wrote on my report card, “Eugene is good natured but unconcerned, all he wants to do is doodle.” I realized later in life how true that was. Unconcerned, not so much. Loves to doodle – Definitely! I think it worked out. A largely self-taught artist, I was exposed to the Freer Gallery at a young age. Read more>>
Kat Seay
I am an ACE-Certified Group Fitness instructor who has been teaching classes for over 15 years. I am a wife, mother of three, grandmother, and joy-filled Jesus Follower. I began my fitness instructor journey in 2009. I love spreading JOY to others and find that teaching fitness classes is a great way to do this. Read more>>
Jake Endres
Crooked Run is our brewery we founded in 2013 in Leesburg, VA. Founders Lee Rogan and Jake Endres opened Crooked Run with crowdfunded money raised via Kickstarter, building a tiny nanobrewery at the original downtown Leesburg location, which still operates today. The pair steadily grew the brewery via sweat equity and good business decisions, with a reputation in the area for creative and well-executed beers. Read more>>
Sergio Atristain
We started as a boutique translation company — just three people — with a clear purpose: to serve the Spanish-speaking communities of Northern Virginia. Early on, we recognized two gaps in the market. First, there was a lack of professionalism and quality in how translation services were being delivered. Read more>>
Sabrina Burress, LPC, NCC, ACS
Hello, my name is Sabrina Burress and I am a mother (first and foremost), a non-profit CEO and founder, community advocate and leader, a writer, a story teller, and forever learner! I love this question about the voyage or journey, because mine was not linear. Read more>>
BENOS BUSTAMANTE
Conmole started with a simple vision: to introduce people to the depth and richness of Oaxacan cuisine through mole, one of Mexico’s most celebrated culinary traditions. We wanted to create a space where guests could enjoy authentic flavors while also offering vegetarian and vegan options so that everyone could share in the experience. Read more>>
Kristen Thomas
As a stay-at-home mom with two kids under 5, I was always trying to find ways to keep them active, but I had neglected doing the same for myself. I was invited to a fitness class where kids were allowed to stay with mom during the workout and I was hooked! Read more>>
Marysa Uwejeyan
I started just being a fan of music. I immediately got immersed in the music scene by doing music journalism interviewing artists that I love. I intern led for a lovely woman named Ms.P doing music articles and booking major label recording artists for her internet radio show. Read more>>
Deborah Wong
I remember being fascinated by film point and shoot cameras when I was a kid. When digital cameras came out and I finally got one, I started taking it to school all the time. I just really liked looking back on my previous school year since we don’t have yearbooks where I grew up in Aruba. Read more>>
Chef Darius and Dr. Wakeena Dickens
Dr. Wakeena Dickens: I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Long before Down Home Comfort Cafe existed, I was dabbling businesses, serving communities, and pursuing my passion for helping people. I earned my Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership, served in the U.S. Army, and spent years developing my leadership and business skills in the higher education, management consulting and health care space. Read more>>
Doug Black
Summer 2017 I walked down the south Spanish coast, perplexed. I was there to help Syrian refugees in Jerez De La Frontera, a Spanish city between Sevilla and Gibralter, but Spain had quietly kicked out the refugees that had been assigned to them by the EU, so I had no one to help. Read more>>
Yue Werning
Fourteen years ago, I suffered a shattered kneecap in a running accident. After more than three months of acupuncture, chiropractic and physical therapy, my knee flexion was still zero. I could not drive, and I could not walk. Then, a six-hour professional Traditional Chinese therapeutic massage treatment changed everything. Read more>>
Mia Pham Sanchez De Lozada
Dr. Mia Pham Sanchez de Lozada was born in Vietnam and came to the United States at the age of nine, where she made Northern Virginia her home. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating in the top of her class with Magna Cum Laude honors. Read more>>
Christopher Gabriel
My dog, Gypsy, suffered from severe atopic dermatitis. Her condition became so bad that her skin would come off with her hair, leaving red, bloody hot spots all over her body. Read more>>
Donna Figueroa
For the last 15 years, my life’s work has been dedicated to women’s health. As a Licensed Nurse Practitioner, Midwife, and hormone optimization expert, I love nothing more than unraveling complex medical mysteries for women who feel like they’ve exhausted every traditional option. But back in 2015, the medical mystery I had to solve was my own. I hit a wall. Read more>>
Angela Nuñez-Bowman
My husband and I are opening Bowman’s Country Market in July of this year. We are both passionate about supporting local farmers and building community, so opening this market is a perfect way for us to do both. My husband, Joshua, was a manager at various Food Lion locations for many years, and also worked at Airlie. Read more>>
Allen Brooks
When I was 8, my mom brought home an old Commodore 64 and said ‘apparently this can play games, and if you can make it work, it’s yours.’ So I set to work learning about video games, computers and leading to a lifetime of love for the art form. Read more>>
Joseph Dotson
When I was 4 years old, I watched way too much Television. I didn’t want to get bullied entering grade school, so I started practicing Tae Kwan Do. But after 7 years of practice, it felt like they weren’t teaching anything new. With the gnat-like attention span of a child, I was bored. When we moved away, I quit. Read more>>
