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.
Mary Birkholz 
Looking back, it is clear that my love of animals was hardwired from the beginning, especially for dogs and cats who had been abandoned or neglected. They had no one to rely on and had experienced pain or trauma at the hands of a human. I could “feel” them and was drawn to them. I didn’t seem to have any control over it. Read more>>
Marni Rosen 
My path to Brass Monkey RVA was definitely not a straight line. I started my career in the corporate world in risk management, but I’ve always had a creative side and a love for interiors, art, antiques, and especially the thrill of finding something unusual. Eventually, that led me to interior design and my own design business, Marni Rosen Designs. Read more>>
Sara Woznicki 
The story begins in the middle of the night in July of 1991…. Just kidding, I won’t start the story that long ago, but it does feature someone who has known me since that time — my sister. Roll forward to a couple years ago, she sent me a reel about someone on Instagram that they made six figures selling stickers online. Read more>>
Kimberly Brown-Mason 
My story has always been about resilience, service, and finding purpose after life forces you to reinvent yourself. I am a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, disabled veteran, former federal civil rights executive, wife, mother, and entrepreneur. I spent much of my adult life serving—first in uniform and later in federal leadership, eventually rising from a GS-7 intern to a GS-15 executive-level leader. Read more>>
Jaida Garrison 
I always wanted to be an artist, but never seeing anyone around me who had done it made it feel like something outside of my reality. I considered becoming an illustrator for an animation studio, becoming a graphic designer, and, for a while, I decided on becoming an art teacher. Read more>>
Carl Cleanthes 
I started Epic Made in 2006 as a small art and design studio. Twenty years later it’s a full 2D animation, illustration, and motion graphics shop that has made entertainment-quality work for brands like Netflix, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, and Asmodee. The most exciting chapter is the one happening right now. Everyone can make content today. Almost no one can tell you what’s worth making. Read more>>
Joyce Rutti 
After our dogs passed away several years ago, we felt empty not having fur babies to love. Knew some people that volunteered with billy the kidden rescue and started to get involved in the rescue and have adopted several cats from there. I started out as a foster then got turned into trapping and fell in love with that aspect. Read more>>
Amy Kress Youssef 
I grew up on an organic farm in Ohio and was in touch with the seasons and with good food. Fast forward past a liberal arts education in the midwest and I landed in Washington DC metro area working as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton, doing graphic design. Lots of blue government websites and flyers. Read more>>
Ryanne Hodson 
Broad Porch Coffee started in 2017 with a love of really good coffee and a desire to build the kind of coffee company we wanted to see in our own community: thoughtful, welcoming, but serious about doing things well. Over the past nine years, we’ve grown from a small Shenandoah Valley coffee roaster into something much bigger than we imagined. Read more>>
Genesis Dudley 
I’m originally from the Bronx, New York, born and raised. Growing up, I always had a creative side and a love for expressing myself, but my path to becoming the woman I am today definitely wasn’t a straight one. Read more>>
Tyler Hearn 
I’m Tyler Hearn, the visionary behind Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia. I’m more than a hairstylist—I’m a healer, creator, educator, and guide for people who are embracing their own journey of self-discovery. Read more>>
Gwenyth Airhart 
I’d always had an artsy eye for everything around me. My parents starting noticing in my early teen years that I’d taken an interest in photography, and bought me my first camera for Christmas! It was the best day of pre-teen me’s life! Fast forward to about 10 years later in 2021, I decided to start taking pictures of people who weren’t my family. Read more>>
Erin Stanley 
The idea of becoming a psychotherapist became an appealing career prospect for me sometime between middle childhood and adolescence. I’m a child of the 90’s. I grew up watching talk shows after school: Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, and Oprah were my favorites. I loved hearing guests’ intriguing stories, and the audiences’ vociferous reactions. Read more>>
Jim Mercantini 
I grew up in Bordentown, New Jersey in an Italian-American family, and like a lot of people, I didn’t have my entire life mapped out after high school. I joined the Navy and ended up spending the first few years of my career overseas in Japan. What started as a decision to serve turned into a career that has now lasted more than 20 years. Read more>>
Matthew Chalmers
TwoProfs is a small, bespoke, family-run tutoring and academic coaching business. On the one hand, you might think of us as academic overachievers. We met in Philly, doing PhDs at UPenn. Then we worked for about a decade as college professors. We’ve taught hundreds of students. We’ve written in field-leading journals. Kameliya has published her first book. Read more>>
Jon Henry
My family has lived in the Shenandoah Valley for multiple generations. It seems about every 3 generations we drift further South in the Valley to a different township. I am in that generation that’s moved and opened up shop in New Market. My family still farms and lives north in Mt Jackson on a farm that has been in the family for nearly 100 years! Read more>>
Bridie McCulla 
My formal education centered on languages and linguistics, with a focus on Italian and French, and I could not have predicted that life would lead me into the realm of professional baking. After time spent living and working in Tuscany, I felt the kitchen calling… rather than tackling the culinary industry through formal training, I have learned through hands on kitchen experiences. Read more>>
Stacey Sherman 
I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of my adult life. I opened my first salon when I was 23 years old, and from there I just kept building. I’ve owned multiple businesses, led teams, experienced a lot of success, and also lived through a lot of change. For a long time, I knew how to achieve. Read more>>
Katina Murphy 
My story actually starts in a place I never imagined it would — prison. It isn’t something I’m proud of, but it is part of my story, and it ultimately played a huge role in leading me to where I am today. While I was incarcerated, I participated in a program called B.A.R.K. Read more>>
Sandra Bellante 
I’ve wanted to be an artist since kindergarten, spending years exploring every medium I could get my hands on—from painting and pottery to composition and color theory through high school AP Art and my time studying fine art at Saint Joseph’s University. I was always searching for a way to create, convinced for a long time that painting or pottery was my ultimate destination. Read more>>
Bianca Briscan 
I think my entrepreneurial story started long before I knew what the word entrepreneur meant. I grew up in Romania, and at about five years old I already had my first little “business.” I would gather wild herbs and greens and sell them before school. My three-year-old sister was my marketing department. I had her yell, “Fresh salad! Good price!” to attract customers. Read more>>
Udodilim Nnamdi 
Odera Styles is a Maryland-based luxury styling brand offering bridal, traditional-wedding, special-occasion, pageant, and editorial styling services to clients across the United States. The name draws from the Igbo phrase meaning ‘what is written will come to pass,’ and that idea of destiny anchors the brand’s philosophy: every look tells part of a client’s personal story, not just an outfit. Read more>>
Jordan Sabillo 
My creative journey started at VCU, where I discovered my passion for photography while studying Information Systems. I bought my first camera on my 20th birthday and started learning by photographing my friends and events hosted by a Filipino organization I was involved with in college. What started as a hobby quickly became something I wanted to pursue more seriously. Read more>>
Keith Lakean Powell 
Keith Lakean Powell got his start by betting on himself after facing constant rejection as an aspiring actor. Instead of waiting for Hollywood gatekeepers or casting directors to give him a chance, he decided to take absolute control of his creative fate.His entry into the film industry is defined by a fierce DIY (do-it-yourself) mentality:1. Read more>>
Jason Umidi 
My name is Jason Umidi. I’m a husband of 29 years to my wife, Aimee, and a dad to three amazing kids: Jessica, 35; Cooper, 26; and Sky, 20. My story starts in Canada. My parents were true children of the hippie era, and for one year our family even lived in a tent in Vermont. Read more>>
Claude Diggs 
Before we were business partners, we were teammates. Our story began more than 20 years ago on the football field at the University of Richmond, where Adrian Archie, Jermaine Slade, and I built a friendship that continued long after our playing days.. Adrian later started Pet N’ Mind, an all-natural pet store. Read more>>
Kanokphorn Baldueva 
We Best Baldueva and Noon Saparakpanya , owner of Celeste Matcha Haven started from our shared love for matcha and our dream of creating something of our own. We both have full-time careers but have always shared a creative and entrepreneurial side. Our concept is a DMV-based matcha pop-up focused on balancing great taste, creative matcha flavors, and beautiful presentation. Read more>>
Andrea Green 
My journey began at 17 years old in Virginia, where I worked with Estée Lauder as one of their youngest account managers. That experience sparked my passion for beauty and inspired me to pursue greater opportunities, eventually leading me to relocate to New York City. Read more>>
Franchon Doley 
I started sewing when my daughter was three years old. I would make her bow ties to wear with her outfits, along with smaller ones for her hair. What started as something I enjoyed making for my daughter eventually turned into making bow ties for other people by hand, until my fingers were tired! Read more>>
Trent Wagler 
I have toured across the country playing music in communities large and small with a band called The Steel Wheels. One thing that sticks out to me are communities that invest in making music. There are cultural, generational, and even economic impacts that I wanted to see translated to Harrisonburg/Rockingham. Read more>>
Julie Austin 
I spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a LTC. Serving taught me about leadership, mission, and taking care of your people, and those values shaped everything I’ve done since. Read more>>
Kimiko Yerick 
My name is Kim Yerick. I am the owner of Learning Lane Tutors based in Woodbridge Va. I transitioned from being a first grade teacher at a public school to running my own tutoring business. In 2025 decided to start my own tutoring business so that I could pursue my love of teaching in a more one on one approach. Read more>>
Kashan Khan 
My name is Kashan Khan. I was born and raised in Northern Virginia to Pakistani parents, and I’m the founder of SBG Visionaries. My path here wasn’t a straight line. My first job, while I was still a senior in high school, was as a stylist at Nordstrom. I’ve always had a passion for fashion, and that job let me be around it every day. Read more>>
Megan Cordone-Greene 
In 2011 I began as a dual major in clinical massage therapy and nursing. My goal was to work in both fields. As I studied deeper in both subjects, I eventually moved away from the nursing program altogether and graduated with a clinical massage therapy degree. Read more>>
Kadija Jalloh 
I started creating content because I’ve always loved trying new restaurants, experiencing new things, and exploring different places. I naturally started sharing those experiences through content, and at first, it was really just something I did for fun. I would post lifestyle, food, travel, and different experiences around the DMV without really thinking of it as a business. Read more>>
Melissa Kerley
I was born in Alabama. We moved a lot…I have lived up and down the East Coast Coast…as far north as Maine and as far south as Florida. The reason we moved so much is that my Dad was really good at what he did so he got promoted and transferred a lot. My family was living in New Jersey when I was fourteen. Read more>>
Anna Finan 
I grew up in Poland and started ballet when I was very young. I trained in the Vaganova method at the National Ballet School in Bytom. At 14, I participated in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne ballet competition in Switzerland, where I reached the semifinals and received a scholarship to the Hamburg Ballet School in Germany. Read more>>
Queen Zakia Shabazz 
My passion for justice began when I was about 12 years old and attended a tenants meeting in Brooklyn, NY. The unity of the tenants coupled with a rent strike made the landlords do what was right and provide basic amenities. Later, when my infant son was poisoned by lead I found that passion again. Read more>>
Kathleen Poles 
My name is Kathleen, and I am the creator of Mary J. Blige Fashion Book. I have been a fan of Mary J. Blige since day one. I’ve followed her music and career throughout the years, but the idea for Mary J. Blige Fashion Book came to me in 2019 when Mary was on the Royalty Tour with Nas. Read more>>
Heather Fulmines 
I always loved plants and would have a few scattered around my home. When Covid hit and I was sent home from work, I found myself craving a way to make my home feel more comfortable and safer to be in. I started buying a plant or two and then the next month I would find myself buying another plant or two. Read more>>
Brian Bernhard 
My name is Brian A. Bernhard and I am a creative human. A long time ago, a former professor of mine once described the differences between artists and designers to me. They said, “An artist creates problems and a designer solves them.” Ever since, I have worn both hats proudly. Read more>>
Tanya Williams 
I have always had a passion for doing my own nails as a young girl and knew that at some point I would pursue learning professionally more about nails; maybe as a college student I would do it to earn more money while I was earning my degree. Well, sorta. Read more>>
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>>
