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.
Morgan Evans 
Growing up, I was always drawn to expressing myself through art and creating. Whether it was watercolor, drawing, makeup; yes, I had a YouTube channel where I posted makeup tutorials when I was about 10, or, of course, baking, I’ve always found so much joy in making things with my hands. Read more>>
Andi Byers 
If you look at my career on paper, it looks like I’ve done a little bit of everything however, there has always been a common thread through all of it and that’s people. I spent 22+ years in the Air Force, and throughout my career I had opportunities to lead, teach, mentor, and work with people from all walks of life. Read more>>
Amanda Clark 
I grew up here in Staunton, VA, born and raised, but it took moving away for me to really appreciate how wonderful our small city is! I left a year out of high school and moved down to Orlando, FL to go to film school, Full Sail University. I graduated 13 months later and then trucked it on out to Los Angeles, CA. Read more>>
Brendan Kennedy 
I grew up in Richmond, went to Shenandoah Conservatory for Musical Theatre, then moved to NYC. After learning a ton an getting to work in every side and size of theater, my wife and I moved back to Richmond in 2011 where I started working more in theatre-arts education. ArtsToAll was a Covid baby. Read more>>
Julie Bartolotta 
I started Little Leaf Greenery in 2024 as a way to simply earn a little bit of extra money with the hopes that it might eventually turn into a plant store one day. For the first year or so I applied and attended every market and event that I could from Richmond to Virginia Beach. Read more>>
Theresa Shiflett 
My mother wanted to buy the shop in 2005. She knew flowers but not how to run a business so I helped her and got involved. I had to quit my job to help her because I had bitten off more than I could chew but I figured it out. She died after owning the shop for 3 years. Read more>>
Suncrest Band 
We first started off as just people who knew of each other but weren’t really that tight together, we interned on the same week for a summer camp at the School of Rock. Read more>>
Kimberly Osam 
I’m a parent who refused to take no for an answer when told everything that my non speaking, autistic son could not do, especially when I witnessed him being treated as less than. Read more>>
Davina Oh 
It started 8 years ago as a late-night idea with two of my closest friends. The three of us are servant-hearted people, and two of us shared a love for photography and storytelling. We wanted to build something together, just for fun – so we asked an acquaintance if we could shoot their wedding for free. That’s where the spark happened. Read more>>
Rachel Baker 
During the pandemic, our founder, Donald Alexander, was at loose ends (as many of us were). He had opened a used bookstore previously, so posted online saying he wanted to start another one in his neighborhood, and if folks wanted to drop off books on his porch, he’d start the process. Read more>>
Sarah Le Duc 
I’ve always had a passion for floral arranging. I first started working with flowers in college and quickly fell in love with making people happy with flowers. When my husband, Nathan, and I got married, I wanted to be able to keep my bouquet forever, so we sent our flowers to a major flower preservation company. Read more>>
Ryker Eckenbarger 
I grew up on a farm in northern Maryland, playing outside and wrestling my brothers. That is when I learned hard work and resiliency. Wrestling opportunities led me to college, where I received my bachelors degree in Computer Sciences. I started off as a software engineer for a Fortune 500 company in 2021. After moving to small-town Virginia, my sense of community exploded. Read more>>
Stevie / Sarah McKulsky / Vogel 
We have similar background stories as we both began working with pregnant women through yoga. Sarah was moved to become a doula after the birth of her oldest son. She has now been supporting families for ten years. Stevie felt the calling to birthwork while witnessing the transformation from maiden to mother in her yoga classes. Read more>>
Katie Sims 
People always ask, “Who rescued who?” In my case, I can say without hesitation that cats helped rescue me. Several years ago, I was experiencing debilitating mental health struggles and extreme burnout while working as a special education teacher. I felt like I was losing pieces of myself. Read more>>
Jim Augustine 
During peek Covid my wife had a tea shop and I wanted something comforting like to to offer the public as well. I thought what’s more comforting than childhood memories. That’s when I decided to open a toy store a few doors down from My wife’s tea shop. I started with a little over $7000 worth of toys and collectibles on day one. Read more>>
riohillwine@gmail.com Doug Hotz 
So I got started in the wholesale side of the Wine and Beer industry somewhat by accident. I took a gap year off after high school graduation. I was working full time at a golf course which meant working weekends. I was saving money for college and I had 2 days off during the week. Read more>>
Windy Blades 
My journey to Tactical Health & Wellness has been anything but linear. I am a U.S. Army combat veteran who spent years navigating the physical and emotional effects of military service while also struggling with my own weight and wellness. At my heaviest, I weighed 250 pounds. Read more>>
Rachel Richardson 
Let’s begin with the pandemic. Things were awful. It felt like the whole world had stopped and now there was nothing but time to think about the state of my life. I’d been having health issues for years. My relationships were struggling. I had no work. And there was nothing to distract myself with. No way out. Read more>>
Jackie Temkin 
My career in graphic design came from a series of fortuitous events. While studying for the GMAT to apply to business school, I heard about an opening at a friend’s office—a role for digital communications manager for a social justice non-profit. Since I wanted to eventually work in corporate social responsibility, the job seemed like a natural fit. Read more>>
Ashley Moore 
Guiding Sol Doula Services started with two nurses, Ashley Moore and Rosa Dominguez , who both recognized how overwhelming serious illness, end-of-life decisions, and loss can be—not only for the person going through it, but for the entire family. Read more>>
Elizabeth Andrews 
I was recently separated and running my first business, a wedding venue, which was wonderful, but didn’t feel like a good fit for me anymore (the couples were amazing! I just didn’t love marriage and weddings anymore) and I needed to find a new path forward to support myself and my toddler. Read more>>
Derrick Brooks 
I always had a feeling I would end up in the beauty industry. I grew up surrounded by hairstylists and paralegals, lawyers. so my family always joked that I would either end up in law or somewhere in the beauty world. Read more>>
Rei Pincombe 
Creativity has always been woven into my life, even before I really understood what I was going to do with it. I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved to Virginia after high school, but Knoxville never really stopped feeling like home. Read more>>
Alexis Lans 
My story is one of faith, perseverance, family, and learning to walk in the purpose God placed on my life. I didn’t get to where I am today because everything was perfectly planned out. There were different seasons of my life that shaped me, stretched me, and taught me who I was. Read more>>
Daniel Barnes 
Daniel Barnes My name is Daniel Barnes, and I am a husband, father, entrepreneur, and construction professional based in Norfolk, Virginia. Throughout my life, I have been driven by a commitment to hard work, integrity, and creating opportunities for my family and community. Family I am married to my wife, Jillian Barnes, who has been my partner and support system through life’s challenges and successes. Read more>>
Sara Eulalia 
I started photographing by 13yo in Brazil. By 16 I was shooting weddings and studying english as a second language. By 17 I started a minor in Technology in Photography, finished in 2022, and picked up a mix of stuff along the way: museology, framing, exhibition work and fashion photography. My projects always focused on people and their cultural backgrounds. Read more>>
Lauren Galjour 
My love for makeup started when I was in high school with the crazy 2016 brow phase. I got my first job and asked my mom to take me to the store where I dropped my first paycheck on makeup. She scolded me and couldn’t believe that I spent so much money on just makeup. Read more>>
Reggie Holmes 
I have always been interested in creativity, storytelling, and how words and images work together to inspire, engage, and move people to action. I would say I wanted to be a designer before I knew what that profession was or how to become one. I have always been a thinker and doer. Read more>>
Nicole Stickle 
We’re Nicole and Kimmy, the owners of The Bevy Mobile Bar. We met years ago while bartending together at a local bar in Virginia Beach. We quickly became best friends, then roommates, and eventually moved into the corporate world. Over the years, we each got married and started families of our own, and today we have five children between our two families. Read more>>
Angel Rios 
It’s bigger than me. Where I am today is somewhere I never would have imagined I’d be. 6 years ago I originally started my career in construction management. With only two classes left, and offered a position with a $60,000 salary, it seemed natural. But at the same time, I was still trying to figure my life out. Read more>>
Amanda Orshoski 
After graduating high school, I went off to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. During my time at Liberty, I found that every other year I was changing my major, just trying to find something that I truly cared about and that brought me joy. Unfortunately, that did not happen for me. Read more>>
Shivawn Mitchell 
I had recently moved back to the Richmond area after living in Hampton Roads for more than fifteen years. Just two weeks after relocating, the pandemic began. Suddenly, I found myself back in a city that was familiar, but without the friendships or sense of community I needed. Read more>>
Teresa Mitchell 
It all started as a vanity project back in the 2010s. This was when facebook and Instagram were newer and cell phones started having better cameras. I loved taking selfies, but I wanted to elevate my selfie game. Read more>>
Chris Rogers
Because of my parents’ work, I’d lived in seven different countries by the time I turned twenty. This was mostly in Southeast Asia. It was a childhood that gave me a big imagination, but it came with some grief too as we frequently relocated. The arts were a way to synthesize complicated feelings. I really took to writing and drawing. Read more>>
Kevin Dickhut 
During my military career, I had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States and around the world. At the same time, I was competing as a professional powerlifter, which meant that everywhere I traveled, I was always looking for a good gym where I could train for my next competition. Read more>>
Verenda Cobbs 
My story is rooted in faith, resilience, and a desire to help people see what is possible for their lives. As a first-generation college student, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University, earning my bachelor’s degree in social work in 2004 and my master’s in 2006. That foundation led to more than two decades of serving individuals, families, and communities. Read more>>
Eli Pollard 
When I was very little (about three years old), I used to fill up sketchbooks that my grandma would get me. I started working in an art gallery when I was six years old. I got a bachelors and masters degrees in fine arts and have taught art and design courses at a variety of universities while continuing to run art galleries. Read more>>
LaTasja Tilghman 
Khaotic Kitchen was born from an unexpected season of uncertainty, resilience, and hope. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was eight months pregnant and placed on bed rest. Like so many others, my world changed overnight. I was unable to work, restaurants were closing, and life felt uncertain. Read more>>
Madison Dye 
Life truly is a journey. It looks different for everyone and I think that is truly beautiful. My journey has been unique, and I’m proud of it because I think it made me who I am. I have always had a strong love and passion for healthcare. It is where I feel like I belong. Read more>>
Linda Del Monte 
I started taking ballet classes when I was nine years old.It was love at first plié! I continued my lessons through high school. I danced with the Schenectady Civic ballet Company, and Phyllis’s Mermein’s Ballet Workshop in upstate New York. I received my Dance Educators of America teaching certification in 1974.. It was always my dream to teach ballet classes. Read more>>
Nicole Lehr 
I have been in the spa industry since the late 90s. I started as an apprentice in a local natural nail shop. Later in 2004 I become a holistic aesthetician, opened and ran a spa for 10+ years while also providing services. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 while raising two small kids and a husband. Read more>>
Adam Parks 
I own and operate Parks Health, an individual and employee health consulting business. As for my background and how I got to where I am today; I grew up a typical 90’s boy in Virginia wanting to be bigger, faster, and stronger and play and do all the macho things like my ‘role models’ on TV did. Read more>>
Stephanie Willis Mackey 
My husband Calvin Edward Mackey and I, were presented with the idea of senior care by our friends from Calvary Reformation Church; Melvin and Gwendolyn White. My husband dove right in with excitement. I had to take thoughtful consideration and now I am so very honored and grateful to the White family for their supernatural intervention. Read more>>
Dawanna Kennedy 
WiseHR Solutions Consulting was born out of my professional experience in the nonprofit sector, but more specifically, out of what my experience taught me. I have spent much of my career working in and around human resources, people management, and organizational development. Along the way, I experienced many of the same workplace challenges that I now help organizations navigate. Read more>>
Rashad Tarpley 
Yes and thank you. My name is Rashad Tarpley and I’m the founder and photographer of R.A Images (R.A Images LLC). My journey into photography really started when I was younger. I remember when my mom bought me my first camera. Read more>>
Tamara Willingham 
My name is Tamara , I am originally from Albany NY. I moved to Norfolk VA in 2012 with my two daughters. I had no idea how’d I make it or what the future looked like for me. I knew after heartbreak and sorrow of loss, for my mental state I could no longer stay in New York State. Read more>>
Tory Varricchione 
I graduated from Liberty University in 2023 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a focus in business, psychology, and science. After graduating, I began working in genetic counseling while also building my first business online. That experience showed me how much I loved entrepreneurship, but I knew I eventually wanted to create something tangible in my own community. Read more>>
Allie Jones 
When I was 11, I was in the car with my sister and told her how cool her friend’s clothing brand was. Right then, a spark went off in my head: I want to make my own line. She asked me what the name would be, and I said it had to have something to do with stars. That’s how I came up with 1vsAMillion. Read more>>
Dwayne Turner 
I was the shy kid in the back of the room. So it’s funny where life put me: coaching Olympians and MMA fighters, standing guard backstage for music producers, and traveling the world on tour. Being put into positions to have to speak to people and or being the speaker of the event. Read more>>
Joby Shreckhise 
I grew up in Augusta County and graduated from Fort Defiance High School in 2004. My early athletic background was in martial arts, followed by football in middle school. I didn’t begin wrestling until my freshman year of high school, but the sport quickly became a major part of my life. Read more>>
Alexandra Glasscock 
My Story: The Heart Behind Seventh Sky Seventh Sky began long before it became a business. It began with my journey as a mother. When my son was two years old, he was diagnosed with autism. Over the next several years, our family also faced diagnoses of PANDAS, OCD, tic disorder and ADHD. Read more>>
Camille Espinoza 
I founded the Center for Intimacy and Relationships to help people create true connection in their lives. Our team helps people create authentic intimacy in their relationships, one person at a time and one session at a time. As a couples therapist and certified sex therapist, I see people every day who simply need a place to talk about the difficult issues in their relationships. Read more>>
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>>
