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.
Kevin Edwards
I was apprenticed by Jason Setchel in Roanoke, VA and started tattooing full-time in 2016 in Raleigh, NC. From there I moved to New York City, spent time as a traveling tattooer, and even moved back to to North Carolina. Near the beginning of 2019 I moved to Staunton, Virginia to work for Tim Forbus at Acme Tattoo. Read more>>
Heather Beach
Yes. I am the founder and President of the historic preservation nonprofit The Dunnington Mansion Foundation. We are a registered 501 (c)(3) organization. By profession I am a small animal veterinarian and graduated from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. I have been in private practice since then. Read more>>
Hillary Erp
My journey to speech therapy started in the hospital. I was a practicing respiratory therapist at Baptist Health in Lexington, KY sharing a department with speech therapist. I got to see them in action with stroke patients and helping them to talk/speak again. It was awesome! Such a rewarding experience to see the joy they brought their patients. Read more>>
Melissa Walker
I started Quality Mobile Labs LLC because I wanted to give back. Working in healthcare allowed me to see how difficult and expensive accessing basic healthcare services can sometimes be. I wanted to provide convenient and affordable laboratory testing, especially for individuals and families who may not have insurance or who want to avoid unexpected high insurance bills for basic lab testing. Read more>>
Natalia Malley
My name is Natalia Malley, and I’m the founder, artist, and educator behind Peace Love and Paint, a creative business based in Fairfax, Virginia. My journey began with a love of art and a desire to bring creativity and joy to others. In 2009, I started Peace Love and Paint, initially focusing on face painting and creative entertainment for children’s birthday parties and special events. Read more>>
Sean Maloney
Growing up, I always felt called to contribute something meaningful to my community. As a child, I imagined that meant becoming President of the United States. By high school, personal experiences had shown me other—and perhaps more immediate—ways to use my strengths to make a difference. Still, it was not until well into college that this desire crystallized into a career in social work. Read more>>
Killian Bundy
In August 2015 Black Water Tattoo and Design opened its doors with with a mission to bring professional tattooing in a clean, friendly environment to the people of Loudon County Virginia. I worked at another local shop prior to opening, but that experience left a lot to be desired both for the client and the other artists at the shop. Read more>>
Erin Franklin Spengler
My story began with a lifelong interest in movement, health, and the human body. I studied exercise science in college and competed at the Division I level in cross country and track, which naturally drew me toward a career in physical therapy. Read more>>
Niki Roman
I had been working at USPS for years and wanted a change. I initially wanted to do Lash Extension services, but you have to be licensed by the state. So I went ahead and started school for Esthetics, I got my license and ‘started’ my business. Not too long after, I decided lashing was not for me. Read more>>
Tamara Moore
I originally started this journey simply because I wanted to earn some extra income and pay down some debt. I’ve always loved dogs, so I thought dog walking would be a fun way to make a little extra money on the side. What started as part-time dog walking quickly grew into full-time doggie care. Read more>>
KK Shoaf
My journey in the beauty world began watching my mother tote her Fashion 220 bag from door-to-door one and I was a little girl. It was a company similar to Avon, I suppose, that did not stand the test of time. Read more>>
Collette Mann
I began creating mosaics in my thirties. I have always been drawn to tactile art forms—quilting, collage, fabric montage, clay, and, of course, mosaics. I find it deeply satisfying to bring together different shapes, colors, and textures, allowing them to speak to one another and form a cohesive work that tells a story. Read more>>
Joel Casanova
I started dancing at 11 years old in church – this instilled the passion for raw movement. Afterwards, I joined a competitive dance studio that gave me the discipline and precision to dance with excellence. However, when I started teaching my peers and children in other studios, I realized that teaching is a passion of mine that rivaled performing. Read more>>
Paula Frank
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by beautiful things. Color, fabrics, aesthetics, symmetry, asymmetry. My sister used to tell a story of how, in the first or second grade, I changed out of the outfit my mother sent me to school in for picture day. Read more>>
Christopher Polanco
I started out as a self-taught oil painter at 17, obsessed with light, composition, and visual storytelling. Over time, that artistic eye naturally expanded into photography, and eventually, digital marketing. After working in marketing at a wealth management firm, the real turning point came when I started managing marketing for my cousin’s company. Read more>>
Keo Lyons
I started boxing as a teenager and had a couple of matches. As a young man, I also found myself in fights and difficult situations, dealing with a lot of confusion, frustration, and anger. That carried into my twenties, when I lived a wild life. In a lot of ways, I was rejecting myself and rejecting reality. Read more>>
Jay Nagasamy
My journey with TattooMyWalls really connects back to my background in Architecture. I’ve always been interested in design, spaces, and how something as simple as a wall can change the character of a room. Although my professional career later took me into technology and consulting, that interest in architecture and creativity always stayed with me. Read more>>
Dana Che
My story really began in my own marriage. My husband, Shaun, and I have been married for 27 years, and like most couples, we’ve experienced both beautiful seasons and difficult ones. Walking through our own challenges gave me a deep compassion for couples who feel stuck, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward. Read more>>
Ania Gackowska
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2013, and for years I was incredibly sick. I was constantly searching for answers and trying to understand what was happening in my body. Even during some of my hardest moments, I had this deep feeling inside that this didn’t have to be my life forever. I truly believed there had to be another way. Read more>>
Ann Gottlieb
I grew up wanting to be a fashion designer, ended up going to college for Interior Design on accident after meeting someone in Greek History class. After graduating from Virginia Tech, I worked in London on high end residential and hospitality projects. Needing to return back to DC, I accepted a job with Gensler where I worked in various offices for 12 years. Read more>>
Michael Roberts
My band, Michael & The Pentecost, officially started on Inauguration Day, 2017. Setting out to create a song focused blend of Alt-County, Folk, Rock and Rock, and Americana, that we now affectionately refer to as ‘White Trash Romantic, High-Lonesome Rock & Roll’. Read more>>
Abe Loper
So, my story, like so many others, isn’t a direct path from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’. It starts in nonprofit work, moves to economic development, higher education, and eventually to entrepreneurship where I owned restaurants and a real estate investment company. Read more>>
Ramona Jones
I’m Ramona, the Founder and the Financial Planner of Jeunibe (June -ah-Bee) Financial Advisory, LLC. As a U.S. Navy Veteran who retired after 21 years of dedicated service, I’ve gained extensive financial knowledge and experiences through business relationships with the three credit bureaus, management of million-dollar budgets, facilitating various financial consortiums, and developing financial management processes for several agencies. Read more>>
Yanhui Chen
I started 757 POP as a side hustle while I was transitioning out of the military. I was going a tough time and was burnout at work. I learned a lot during my time in the military, but it was a stressful environment for me. I knew that wasn’t the lifestyle I want. Read more>>
Keith Brougham
For Keith Brougham, Virginia was more than a place where he went to college—it was where his life began to take shape. His time at Hampton University exposed him to a culture of excellence, creativity, ambition, and possibility. Read more>>
Betsy O’Brien
With more than 15 years of experience in the craft beverage industry, I’ve had the opportunity to wear just about every hat—from bartender and bar manager to sales representative, event manager, marketing manager, and everything in between. Along the way, I discovered a passion for helping beverage brands grow and realized I wanted to build something of my own. Read more>>
Nicole DaCosta Praino
My journey has been anything but linear, but looking back, there has always been a consistent thread: I have been deeply curious about people, why we do what we do, and how the environments and systems around us shape who we become. My career has taken me through human services, education, behavioral health, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Read more>>
Paris Shrestha
I’ve loved cookies for as long as I can remember. Every December, my family would bake around 200 sugar cookies from my great-grandmother’s recipe, then decorate them with royal icing my mom guarded like gold. Eventually, my husband Yug joined the tradition too, and over the years I became the person baking hundreds more cookies for friends, coworkers, and basically anyone willing to eat them. Read more>>
Michelle Redmon
My love for design started early, when I joined my high school yearbook staff. There was something about taking ideas, stories, and information and turning them into something visual that immediately clicked with me. Yearbook still holds a special place in my heart because it was really where my passion for design began. Read more>>
Craig Rothchild
I built Legacy Architect RVA after seeing what happens when one person carries too much and doesn’t write it down. The problem is we think we have time. In 2007, I lost my friend Dane in Iraq. In the middle of grief, his dad and I were left sorting through accounts, logistics, memorial details, and paperwork nobody thinks about until it’s too late. Read more>>
Shelby Harris
My journey began in 2020, where I had access to a space where I began creating opportunities for youth and families in my community. What started as a space for youth began quickly grew into something much bigger. Read more>>
April Patterson
The Birthing Room really started from my experience in healthcare. As I worked with patients, I realized I was becoming more connected to the emotional side of care. I found myself wanting to do more than just provide a service—I wanted to listen, encourage, and support people through what they were experiencing. That’s what led me to create The Birthing Room. Read more>>
Kai Tomas
I began as a young enthusiast for Japanese martial arts, practicing in my backyard with friends. I later found traditional schools that I enrolled in and began learning all I could, especially during my high school and college years. During this time, I began my work in the private security/bail enforcement world and linked up with military and law enforcement professionals. Read more>>
John Bryant
I started my career because of the same inspiration most of us had as kids… The ninja turtles… I have always appreciated physical challenge, from doing tree work, landscaping, and other physical jobs. When I was 20 my instructor knew how much I liked to push myself and offered me a position working for him at his martial arts school. Read more>>
Joshua Anderson
My journey in dentistry began in Lima, Peru, where I was born and raised. I graduated from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in 2000 and continued my education in prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial radiology, and stomatology. Read more>>
Jaime Williams
I never started out with the idea that I would become a manager of historical/tourist site with the goal of preserving and teaching the history of our earliest inhabitants of this land. I began my career at Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum in 2011 as a work-study student, serving as both a tour guide and a gift shop associate. Read more>>
Nora Munkh
My journey has really been one of learning, hard work, and growing step by step. I didn’t start out with a perfect roadmap of where I wanted to be. A lot of what I’ve learned came from being hands-on, paying attention to what customers needed, and being willing to take on new challenges as they came. Read more>>
Manuela Nogueira
Outsider was founded by Derrick and Manuela, who met while backpacking through Argentina in 2008. Coming from different worlds—Manu from the megacity of São Paulo, and Derrick from rural Virginia—they connected over a desire to learn from one another. Together, they expanded each other’s sense of nature. Manu introduced Derrick to Brazil’s coastline—snorkeling through reefs, spotting toucans, chasing shade under the hot sun. Read more>>
Panda Ovanni
My story with music started when I was about 15 or 16 years old, while I was still in high school in Venezuela. One day, an invitation came directly into our classroom for students to participate in a music event. I decided to join, and the organizers offered music classes as part of the experience. That was really my introduction to music. Read more>>
Brett Woldanski
I put some weights in a warehouse and built a community. That’s what I always tell people when they ask about the gym. Read more>>
Scott Castellow
I, along with the other owners, Tommy and Josh, were coworkers at another job, and had a passion for tabletop gaming and models. Our current needs were not being met by the stores currently in the area, and we began working on the idea of starting our own store as a joke. Read more>>
Grace Mittl
Absurd Snacks started in college, in Richmond, Virginia, when my co-founder Eli and I got tired of watching friends and family sit out of snacking because of food allergies or sensitivities. Read more>>
FAIRFIELD FLOWERS
Fairfield Flowers is a locally owned flower shop and boutique located in Virginia Beach, VA. With a passion for design and a commitment to excellence, the team at Fairfield Flowers is all about crafting original, eye-catching floral arrangements and stylish gifts that brighten lives and spaces. Read more>>
Tim Grabus
Music has been a constant throughout my life. I started playing guitar when I was 12, signed a record deal in my late 20’s, recorded, toured and never completely put it down. Read more>>
Katherine Watson
Our son, Eli, was homeschooled for 7 years after suffering from agoraphobia and ADHD. He was eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We used Lego as an essential part of his learning and healing, and quickly realized the impact such a ‘simple toy’ could have on our family. Read more>>
Leah Carwile
Certainly! As a little girl I knew that I would pursue a supportive/caregiver role in adulthood. I didn’t know what that role would be back then, but I do have fond memories of playing the role of “teacher” with my favorite dolls and three younger siblings (if they allowed me). Read more>>
Tina Kang
I started my career in residential design, and as I gained experience, I became more confident in my abilities and in the kind of designer I wanted to become. Eventually, I realized I wanted to build relationships with my own clients, develop my own design voice, and create something that was truly mine. That realization became the beginning of Huselv. Read more>>
Rita & David Travieso
I think our story started long before we ever imagined owning a business, before we were even together. In many ways, it began decades ago, when our grandmothers each gave us our very first sip of coffee as kids. That early introduction to coffee stayed with us, and years later, it became part of the story we were creating together. Read more>>
Gemma Linden
I had a very hectic upbringing so I wanted to make something of myself. All throughout high-school I loved doing hair. I was adopted when I was young and I grew up in a predominantly white family and wanted to teach myself how to braid hair. I would do my own, my friends, and even a mannequins (LOL). Read more>>
Tish Cunningham
My journey with TasteLife began from something very personal – my love of cooking, entertaining, and creating memorable experiences for family and friends. For years, I was naturally drawn to bringing people together around food. But it was never just about what was on the plate. I loved the entire experience: the presentation, the atmosphere, making people feel welcome, and seeing people enjoy themselves. Read more>>
Matthew Greyard
The culinary background for my journey begins with the need for a ski pass at Snowbird Ski Resort in Salt Lake City. As a ski photographer, my industry collapsed due to the camera phone. The need to make an income and be a ski bum was a priority. After working in a couple kitchens and reading Chef memoirs, a spark of drive accrued. Read more>>
Rebekah Highlander
True Life Connection LLC started as a dream in a little girl’s heart! This little girl’s dream was cultivated through experiencing the freedom from playing “house” with cousins on a farm, counting the wondrous stars in the mid-western sky, and exploring the amazing way the human body was designed for connection to others, nature, and our Creator! Read more>>
Maura Bosbyshell
I’m an art-forward textile designer who loves working with texture. Currently, I design fabric and wallcoverings for my company, Bosbyshell Art + Home, but I have loved fabric since I was young. For many years, I purchased fabric commercially, and as the number of fabric stores dwindled, I began designing my own patterns. Read more>>
Sarah Bohn
After years as a stay-at-home mom, I started a business in my basement with a single hand press and a simple idea: create custom products while giving my clients the kind of personal service that can be hard to find. Read more>>
Heather Baxter
Elevate Couples Counseling really grew out of a shared belief between the two of us that couples deserve a different kind of therapy experience, one that is specialized, intentional, and designed specifically around the complexity of relationships. Read more>>
