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.
Nancy Bruns
My brother and I revived our family’s salt business in Malden, WV. My ancestors began producing salt in the Kanawha Valley of Western Virginia in 1817. The business prospered until 1945, when there was a fire. They decided not to rebuild. I saw an opportunity in 2013 to capture the farm to table momentum for locally produced food products by making a naturally made salt. Read more>>
Andrada Florescu
I’ve always been interested in mental health. During my undergraduate studies, I started training as an EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) couples therapist because I was passionate about love and discovering the ingredients that help people stay deeply connected and in love. As I moved forward in my career, my interests shifted toward trauma healing. Read more>>
Sidd Kashyap
My father built our family’s first home. I was there for every decision, every nail, every moment something came together that hadn’t existed the day before. That experience never left me — and eventually it became my life’s work. Read more>>
Mark & Mimi Burns
We were blessed to begin at this location in 2018, After years of hard work following the Covid timeframe, our faith has been strengthened and resolve tempered to make a difference to those we serve. Our belief has been made stronger through experience and is the inspiration for our namesake. Read more>>
Dierdre Darby
As a creative, finding ways to express myself artistically has always given me joy. It has not always been my job. I studied science in college because I have always loved learning how things work… but school proved much different from the reality of being a doctor, and I left my career in veterinary medicine in 2019 in order to pursue something more fulfilling. Read more>>
Jennifer Parara
I was on and off doing nails since I graduated from cosmetology school. I worked in various shops in strip malls, just for friends, and a spa. I knew I wanted to work for myself, but I was afraid of the responsibility and the failure. Read more>>
Perry Mundy
As a lifelong resident of Central Virginia, I’ve always been passionate about serving the community that shaped me. My career has been built on a passion for understanding human movement and helping people stay active. Read more>>
Lisa Carter
Photography began as a way to provide extra income while I was a single mom working full-time in a factory during the 1980s. Although I had always been artistic, I never imagined a camera would become the path to my life’s work. Read more>>
Ruby Hostetler
I began creating fiber art in 2018 several years after I ended my career as a music teacher. At first, I was primarily making smaller decorative pieces or products like plant hangers, coasters and Keychains. I discovered that what really gave me life was designing and making larger fiberart pieces that used weaving as well as macrame techniques. Read more>>
Maria Easter
I was born and raised in Michigan, my husband is from North Carolina, we are a blended family of 8 beautiful children and 13 grandchildren. Read more>>
Shawn Stewart
To me, massage is more then a job to me its my passion, when I give a massage I want the person to come off my table saying that was the best massage I have ever received, that’s why I became a massage therapist 15 years ago, funny thing was right after school I was not sure what i wanted to do with my life. Read more>>
Jessie Reese
I’m going to East mont high school and it was time to pick an elective class. I was not thrilled about any of the options My best friend at the time was signed up for the cosmetology program at Christiansburg High, I thought to myself, I can know a little about hair plus 1hr less of school time to ride the bus. I’ll take it! Read more>>
Danella Kirk
I guess my starting point would be a little girl around the age of 8/9 pretending her stuff toys were her students. While I was pretend playing I had no idea it would later become my reality. Fast forward to adult years, I started working with children, I begin that journey as a teachers, assistant, I later became a lead then an assistant director. Read more>>
amen (always lowercase) Dupri
My name is amen Dupri (spelled just like that) – I’m a Virginia Native. – Singer , Songwriter, artist. I’ve been panting since the second grade. I’ve been singing for a while. I’ve been rapping since 2015. I love God. Read more>>
McKayla Owen
I’m a small-town North Carolina girl, born and raised. At 22, I made the move to Smithfield, Virginia to continue a relationship that had started as long distance. What began as a leap of faith in love has now grown into a 15-year journey, and that decision ultimately led me to a place I now proudly call home. Read more>>
Mercedes Buck
Ever since I was a little girl, I loved school and I also loved indulging in fashion & beauty as my hobby. In high school, I really wanted to attend the tech center and learn cosmetology, but enrolling in honors classes seemed like the “right” thing to do. Read more>>
Mallorie Terranova
I attended UNC Wilmington and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics and Photography. That’s when I discovered my infatuation with clay and pottery. From there I taught classes, apprenticed under another potter, and built out my own home studio. Read more>>
LESLIE LEVINE
I’ve always been creative. I studied Fine Art in college and originally thought I’d pursue a career in graphic design. While I was in school, I took a part-time job selling jewelry, and I quickly realized I loved helping people find something beautiful that made them feel special. After college, I continued working with my husband’s family business, Fire & Ice. Read more>>
CONNOR SHANAHAN
I grew up in the HVAC industry because my father owned his own HVAC company. From a young age, I was exposed to the trade and learned the value of hard work, quality craftsmanship, and taking care of customers. Those early experiences gave me a strong foundation and a passion for the industry. Read more>>
Christiana Rojas
I’ve loved the beauty industry for as long as I can remember. There’s something powerful about helping someone feel beautiful from the inside out — it’s never just been about the treatments for me, it’s about the transformation that happens in someone’s confidence, their posture, the way they carry themselves after. Read more>>
Karen Blair
My fate was sealed upon receiving my first box of 64 Crayola crayons, the one with the tiers of colors and the sharpener in the back. After years of painting realistic landscapes and working outdoors I decided that I wanted abstract paintings in my own house and I wanted them large. Read more>>
Bryce Blosser
I’m Bryce Blosser, my wife (Melanie) and I, and our three children run our family farm in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. I took over the farm from my grandfather in 2014, I am the 4th generation to run cattle on the farm and currently teaching the 5th to do the same! Read more>>
MARY EHMANN
Steve and Mary never imagined that owning a bakery would become their second career, but looking back, it feels like everything led them here. They moved from rural New Jersey to Cape Charles in 2020 after Steve’s engineering job brought them to the area. They immediately fell in love with the small-town charm, the sense of community, and the slower pace of life. Read more>>
Ellen Sudderth
I stated out as a volunteer at our sons elementary school working with a parent involvement specialist Denise Favors to help families cop with the nuances of being an older women who had younger children and wanting to be able to have conversations with their peers we had a one week course a bound that left us all in tears and didn’t want to separate it was there that we learned that we all enjoyed reading there by forming a book club. Read more>>
Ariel Doan
My love for baking began long before I ever dreamed of owning a bakery. As a little girl, I spent hours in the kitchen with my grandfather making apple pies. Those are some of my most treasured memories. I lost him to Alzheimer’s at a young age, but every time I bake, I still feel connected to him. Read more>>
Andie Ayers
After meeting multiple families who had children with pediatric cancer, I started an organization in the Fredericksburg area called Fairy Godmother Project. During my time building the organization, I was taught so much by the parents the organization served. They shared their highs and lows, the reality of survivorship and the complexities of grief. Read more>>
LuSundra Everett
When I entered the tax profession in 2016, I never imagined it would become my life’s work. What started as an opportunity at a national tax preparation franchise quickly became a passion for solving complex tax problems and helping people navigate one of the most intimidating aspects of their financial lives. Read more>>
Maria Carpinelli
With four year old twins and a newborn, my parents were hungry to keep us occupied. Instead of sticking us in front of the TV, or sending us to our room, they thrust my sister and I into spaces filled with art. Read more>>
Tara Haynes
I didn’t step into real estate the traditional way. My journey began during a season of recovery from illness, when I was reevaluating what direction, my life should take. At the time, I was volunteering three to four mornings a week at my church’s food pantry, giving back to the community while searching for clarity. Read more>>
Stephanie Dobbins
After a brief time in art school, life took me in a different direction. I became a business owner, raised a large family, and eventually fulfilled my dream of becoming a bedside nurse. Years later, I picked up a small watercolor kit simply to play—and discovered a passion that had quietly been waiting for me all along. Read more>>
Mei Tomko
Post Nostalgia Prints was created by Mei Tomko, a female artist based in the D.C. area. I started drawing during early childhood, often choosing animals as my subject to create homemade animal species books using colored pencils and paper. As I grew older, I continued expanding my passion for art by teaching myself how to blend alcohol markers and then later watercolors. Read more>>
Layla Katharina Redwan
n 2015, I signed up for a photography class in college without really knowing what to expect. I never imagined I’d fall in love with it, but I did. From that point on, photography became my creative outlet. I loved learning the technical side of photography just as much as the creative side, and I was always excited to experiment with new ideas and concepts. Read more>>
Hasan YBH YOBOYHASAN Anderson
Hasan: I’m from a small town out of Virginia called Fluvanna County. I’ve been living there for most of my life. I grew up with my relatives listening to R & B. Artists around me who boosted me to want to do music are Chris Brown, Trey Songs, Pharrell, all of the Virginia natives. Read more>>
