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.
paola duncan 
My name is Pao, I’m 25, and honestly? Dot Creative was never part of the plan. While studying in Vancouver, Canada, I landed my dream job at a marketing agency. Then I moved back home to the DMV, lost that job a few months later, and felt completely lost. Read more>>
Keri Matranga 
My love for books started at a young age, from being read bedtime stories as a little girl to spending countless hours tucked away in my room with a good book. I was even the kid who got in trouble in high school for reading during class instead of paying attention! Read more>>
Heather Guntherberg 
I came into this work through medicine first, not aesthetics — and that order still shapes everything about how OM Laser & Wellness runs today. My foundation is clinical pharmacy. I hold a Doctorate of Pharmacy and was Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy. I have spent more than 28 years in healthcare. Read more>>
Patricia Jordan 
Growing up as a product of the church and Armstrong High School, I learned good speaking skills early on. My mom was a teacher and my father drove a truck. Both of those careers influenced how I saw life. My mom knew education was essential and my father loved traveling the roads driving trucks. Read more>>
Kelly Kirk 
Back in 2021, it all started with Kelly building wooden marquee letters by hand. We rented them out for parties and events under our rental company, Sunrise Rentals. People loved them, so we kept adding to what we offered: floral walls, backdrops, photobooths and eventually mobile bars. Then we bought our first floral heart, and that changed everything. Read more>>
Diane DP 
I’ve loved drawing since I was four years old. Art has always been a part of my life, and over the years, my creative journey has taken me through graphic design, photography, filmmaking, and creative direction. Each experience has deepened my understanding of storytelling, human connections, and the powerful emotions and memories that shape our lives. Read more>>
Kenneth Monsanto 
My journey has been anything but traditional. I spent 11 years of my life incarcerated, and during that time, I had to make a decision about who I was, who I wanted to become, and what I wanted my life to represent. What many would consider a setback became the foundation for my transformation. Read more>>
Maria Wiaterek 
I was born and raised in Poland, and I have always loved movement. In elementary school I played on a handball travel team, and while I loved the training, I soon realized team sports weren’t my thing. What I was really drawn to was figure skating and dance. Read more>>
Melanie Greer 
Honestly, The Boutiques at Virginia Beach came together the way the best things usually do — out of a little bit of chaos, a lot of heart, and people who just refused to give up. When Painted Tree closed, we watched vendors we knew, lose almost everything practically overnight. These were not just business owners. Read more>>
Timothy Dooley
Hi! I’m Tim, and I’m The Retro Den. This philanthropic venture of mine began in 2012, when I spotted a vintage cocktail shaker that a friend had turned into a lamp. I was so impressed that when I found a similar shaker at a thrift store, I made one as a gift for my mom. Read more>>
Charles Brown II
My name is Charles Brown II, but most people know me as Batman. I’m a Hampton, Virginia native, a Navy veteran, and the founder of Darknight Entertainment. My journey has taken me through music, entrepreneurship, community organizing, and politics, with a common thread of connecting people and creating opportunities. Read more>>
Luke Agnew
Owner and craftsman Luke Agnew received his formal woodworking and carpentry education at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. He received his training from some the best craftsmen, designers, and furniture makers in the United States and the U.K. Over the course of the last 10 years, Luke has also apprenticed with Donegal Millworks, Cabinet Makeovers, and with a furniture maker and restorer. Read more>>
Annie Crabtree 
I’ve always had a passion for helping people, educating others, and finding creative ways to make a difference. For nearly 20 years, I’ve worked as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. I’m also a children’s book author, a wife, and a mom of two girls. But one of the most meaningful chapters of my life began when our family decided to homeschool. Read more>>
Manuela Paninski 
I started my business in 2009 after watching a few shows on HGTV about home staging. I really fell in love with the concept of staging a home to sell. It was a mix of design and a marketing strategy to help sellers with preparing their home for market. I must have read every book and googled every home staging link I could find. Read more>>
Sara Lutz 
My journey into professional animal care began with a deeply personal crisis. I have loved animals my entire life, but my true path was forged 11 years ago when my cat survived a severe fall from a tree and became paraplegic. Committing to his round-the-clock care as a special needs pet—which included expressing his bladder multiple times a day—completely transformed my relationship with animal wellness. Read more>>
Shannon Doyle 
My love for plants and working outdoors began when I was a teenager. I worked at a small retail nursery, where I became fascinated with flowers and the process of watching them grow, bloom, and produce fruits and vegetables. That early interest led me to enroll in the horticulture program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where I studied landscape design. Read more>>
Dr. DeShonda Jennings 
My journey into entrepreneurship began with something very personal, the birth of my miracle baby. Growing up in the small town of Kenbridge, Virginia, I always had a passion for children and helping others, but becoming a mother inspired me to turn that passion into something greater. Read more>>
MeShontes Jones 
Well, I’m originally from Richmond, Virginia. I grew up in Highland Park, where I was raised by my great-grandparents. Looking back, I realize there was so much more to life that I hadn’t experienced yet. And I think that’s part of what shaped my appreciation for new experiences as I got older. Read more>>
Ankita Gandhi 
My journey has been a mix of new beginnings, personal growth, and discovering different sides of myself along the way. I was born and raised in India, and my life took a new direction when I moved to the United States after getting married. Moving to a new country was exciting, but it also came with its own adjustments. Read more>>
Cadence Willis 
Willis Waxing started with my appreciation for my clients. Far too often, we feel like we’re just another appointment, but I wanted to build a place where people felt seen and truly valued. Beauty care isn’t always in the budget for a big family, so from a very early age, my mom and family friends took care of all our beauty wants and needs. Read more>>
Megan France 
Hello! Thank you for inviting me to do this interview. I’ll start by saying that I’ve always been a creative person, -from drawing, painting and sewing to theatre production I was always creating. But I always felt that my creative skills were just not “enough” on their own. Read more>>
Cameron Brown 
MindsVaultMedia (MVM) is a Northern Virginia-based video production and creative strategy company I founded to help businesses, brands, and organizations tell compelling stories through professional videography, photography, and content creation. We specialize in brand videos, client testimonials, promotional content, social media videos, event coverage, photography, and creative strategy. Read more>>
Brandy Sunshine 
I took a leap of faith ‘trust fall’ and birthed Soul Good Kitchen LLC. For three years, I have been doing some of my most fulfilling work as a personal chef, where I get the opportunity to enter the hearts and homes of our senior neighbors. Through this, I have gained a newfound appreciation for community, patience, and presence. Read more>>
Natalie Rogers 
I started to go down my own spiritual path in 2019 when I started feeling drawn to things like the tarot, astrology, ancestors, and earth-center spirituality after coming out of the darkest period of my life. As I walked down this path, I discovered the importance of ceremony and ritual for healing and transformation. Read more>>
Kara Bishop 
Content creation is just a very small business that I began at a point in my life where I needed something to get excited about. My husband and I were going through unexplained secondary infertility in 2023 and 2024and anyone who has gone through various fertility treatments knows that scheduling appointments is cumbersome and also can be unpredictable. Read more>>
La’Chaiel Johnson 
My journey with Healing And Restore began with something deeply personal: my own struggles with women’s health, my faith in God, and my desire to find answers when I felt like I had exhausted every available option. Read more>>
Valerie Johnson 
For more than 30 years, I worked as an elementary teacher, sixth-grade math teacher, mathematics specialist, and curriculum developer, helping make math engaging, accessible, and fun. Later in life, I discovered my own inner math kid, which shaped my mission to help children build a positive relationship with math before they doubt their abilities or believe math isn’t for them. Read more>>
Brittany Smith 
I found a passion for art when I was 12 and have been drawing and painting ever since. I received a BFA in Painting, have taught classes, and painted murals. I work mostly on canvas but like to experiment painting on different surfaces . One year, I decided to create highly detailed acrylic portraits on craft pumpkins. Read more>>
Andre Powell Jr 
I grew up in Portsmouth, Va in an era where the sneaker culture was at an all time high. I wasn’t one to have all of the IT sneakers but the ones I did have, I made sure they stayed clean. Read more>>
Megan Wince 
The Story Behind Dolls&Flaws: Beauty in All Imperfection My journey in the beauty industry began in 2012 in Manassas, Virginia, when I enrolled in cosmetology school. Growing up, I had always been drawn to beauty, but I never imagined that owning a salon would one day become my reality. Read more>>
Carra Roots 
Ahhh the story of how I went from bullied to boss; I still can’t wrap my mind around it. I was a young girl who felt isolated, so I got in my creative bag. That’s where it all started for me. Somewhere along the line I became obsessed with taking pictures. Read more>>
Jolie Carroll 
Vintage 29 is owned by Jolie Carroll and Lyle Bowers who met while working together in the antique business. We had a shared vision for what we liked to see as shoppers ourselves and decided to take the leap and open our own shop. We wanted to offer a curated shopping experience with an open and inviting vibe. Read more>>
Jennifer Wade 
I’ve spent most of my adult life as a professional classical musician and teacher, and I still perform regularly as a violinist. Music has been one of the great loves of my life, and it has given me a fulfilling career, wonderful relationships, and opportunities I wouldn’t trade for anything. But my path into coaching began with a much more personal story. Read more>>
Katie Nichols 
I started seriously baking around 2018, but didn’t discover macarons until about 2021. I instantly fell in love with these ridiculously complicated French cookies and made it my mission to master them. I became determined that I would make high quality macarons as a home baker. Read more>>
Kaleigh Sullivan 
The Kaleigh Edit started during a time in my life when I was craving more community, excitement, and a sense of purpose outside of my everyday routine. After having my two children, I found myself doing the same things weekend after weekend. I’ve always been someone who thrives on structure and routine, but I started to realize that I needed something more. Read more>>
Leigh Hewartson 
I came home to a 1972 Monte Carlo sitting in the driveway. My parents had taken my savings account and put a down payment on it for me. That was the summer before my junior year of high school. Luckily, my high school had a work program. I went to school until 11:20 am every day and then off to work I went. Read more>>
Bryan Daniels 
I worked in healthcare IT for over 15 years. During that time I also worked many side hustles and in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to start something of my own one day. I had planned to save up, retire early and become an entrepreneur. Read more>>
Cheryl Poe 
My story has grown out of a commitment to making sure children are seen, families are heard, and educational opportunities are accessible especially for Black children with disabilities. My background is in urban education, and I earned my master’s degree from Norfolk State University. Read more>>
Theresa Spoth 
I started working at Paint Your Heart Out in Occoquan, Virginia in 2016 under Nikki Vandover, its founder and owner. Paint Your Heart Out opened in 2000, and has been operating for 26 years. We continued to work together for the next decade as the business continued to grow. When it came time to open a second location, she approached me about doing it together. Read more>>
Cinthya Gualavisi 
My name is Cinthya Gualavisi. I am 29 years old, proudly Ecuadorian, a mother, an entrepreneur, and a woman who has learned that sometimes starting over is the beginning of something much greater. I come from a close-knit, hardworking family in Ecuador. Read more>>
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>>
