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.
Channel Finney
I started my dessert business from a genuine love for baking and creating experiences that bring people together. As a full-time working mom of three, I’ve always had to balance a lot, but baking became both a creative outlet and something I was truly passionate about. Read more>>
Ryan Norris
My name is Ryan M. Norris. I’m an Event Architect, Artist, DJ, and Education Advocate in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area. My story starts in Durham, North Carolina, at the intersection of a profound love for the arts, education, and music. This current chapter actually began when I was 10 years old in Montgomery, Alabama, authored by Mrs. Read more>>
Gregg DaCosta
I started creating stories after being inspired by television shows at the age of 15 years old. From there I wanted to make my own versions with my own outcomes of things that I saw, but then thought it would be nice to see these visions come to life and that’s when I started researching screenwriting and filmmaking. Read more>>
Dan Gvozden
From a young age, growing up in the ’90s, I was always fascinated by the unique appeal of movies, whether that was escaping into the dark of the theater of the newest release, obsessing over my favorites on VHS, or poring over production magazines that revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets that brought them to life. Read more>>
Kiara Hartwell Opara
My journey into this work started long before I had any formal training, in high school. I was the friend people came to for advice, and I genuinely loved being in that role. That natural pull toward people, combined with a deep curiosity about human behavior and an honest desire to understand myself better, led me to pursue a career in counseling. Read more>>
Erica-Nichole Morla
I got started when I was 4 years old. My grandmother signed me up to do a commercial with Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. Throughout my childhood and teens, I’d go on to dance, cheer, and other sports but kept a passion for modeling. I did commercials or print work here and there. Read more>>
Erika Cole, Esq., The Church Attorney®
I knew as early as sixth grade that I wanted to become an attorney. But it was during my clerkship with Chief Judge Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals that my path truly became clear. Read more>>
Tony Ibrahim
My journey into the automotive industry started with a genuine passion for cars and an interest in building relationships with people. I began by learning the business from the ground up — understanding customer needs, the sales process, and what truly makes a dealership stand out beyond just selling vehicles. Read more>>
Steven Johnson
Growing up in a tough neighborhood in Baltimore taught me resilience early in life. Opportunities were limited, and success often felt distant, but I was determined to build something better for myself and my future. While working at the courthouse, I began learning the hardwood refinishing trade and slowly building my business after hours, one floor at a time. Read more>>
Alden E. Stoner
I am the CEO of Nature Sacred, a national nonprofit my parents founded in 1996 out of a deepening concern that technology was, at an accelerating pace, separating us from nature, to our own detriment. Read more>>
Erin Parlett
I started in the grooming industry at a young age, helping my mom in her grooming shop after school alongside my sister. Growing up in that environment gave me years of hands-on experience and helped build my passion for animal care and grooming early on. Read more>>
Sameka Dewitt
I am big cheese and foodie lover, so once I learned there is a National Grilled Cheese Day I just had to express my love for cheese and food. I have been working in the food industry for over 18 years. Read more>>
Hugh Williams
I have been doing photography over 10 years. I evolved into doing it professionally in 2021. The inspiration was sparked after the pandemic. Since then My company has done many weddings , headshots and corporate events. Read more>>
Mignon Pinson
I began taking acting lessons and performing in stage plays while in high school. Entertainment and writing had always been passions of mine, but I never imagined just how far that path would take me. In 1986, while riding the subway train to work in Washington, I was discovered by a well-known casting agent from Virginia. Read more>>
Melissa Harris
My journey into entrepreneurship with ReWax & UnWine began during a pivotal season of transition. My husband, Chris, came across a feature on the Today Show about the brand expanding into franchising—right as we were preparing to become empty nesters with our twin sons heading off to college. Read more>>
Vincent Wilson
I think the honest answer is that I never really chose magic. Magic chose me, and then I ignored it for a while, and then it came back and refused to leave. Growing up in the late seventies and into the eighties, I was the kid who was always reading. Not because anyone told me to. I just couldn’t stop. Read more>>
Ryan Himes
Ryan didn’t grow up dreaming about spreadsheets, office meetings, or climbing a corporate ladder. He built his life around something far more unpredictable — dogs, chaos, second chances, and the kind of hard work most people quit halfway through. Read more>>
Tahsine Sheppard
My journey really started with a natural love for creativity, community, and bringing people together. I’ve always been drawn to visual storytelling and design, which eventually led me into graphic design and event curation—two spaces where I get to combine creativity with intentional experiences. As a graphic designer, I’m passionate about helping bring ideas, brands, and stories to life through thoughtful visuals and branding. Read more>>
Nevada Winrow
The story of began with a simple but powerful question: *What would happen if Black girls were given greater access to the underwater world, marine science, and STEM opportunities that historically were not designed with them in mind?* Founded in 2017 in Maryland by Dr. C. Nevada Winrow, alongside her daughter Taylor-Symon Winrow and co-founder Dr. Read more>>
Roy Abdo
My story starts in 2006. I was a 20-year-old in Lebanon, and I ended up on one of the last planes out of Beirut before the airport. I landed in Greece with nowhere to go, and a program director took a chance on me and got me a scholarship to study in the US. Read more>>
Amber Banks
I’ve always loved taking photos. I’m not sure exactly when I realized I could do more with it, but ever since I was little, you could always find me smiling and posing for the camera. It wasn’t until I had my own children that photography truly became meaningful to me. Read more>>
Greg Houston
I was teaching at a local art college and, after 9 years at that institution, had my classes removed from the schedule for the following semester (without warning)– as had two of my colleagues. So, with no other teaching options available on short notice, we started our own school. Read more>>
Robert Brooks
The Story of Dakari’s Soul Food Dakari’s Soul Food was born out of love, faith, family, and unimaginable loss. Before there was a restaurant, there was simply a dream. My wife and I always loved being in the kitchen together. Cooking was our love language. Read more>>
Garry Cohen
Micki and I have been wine lovers for decades. About 25 years ago, we were at a winery in the Finger Lakes Region and it inspired us to plant a vineyard and start a winery. We held onto this dream and after more than 10 years, moved from Frederick, MD to Middletown, MD and began the process. Read more>>
Monica Lijewski
There is a brilliant cartoon from The New Yorker magazine which depicts an accountant behind a desk and whose caption reads something like, ‘I was in the middle of a successful acting career when i was bitten by the accounting bug.’ That about sums me up. Read more>>
Corina Fratila
At the end of medical school in Romania, there was a massive national exam for residency placement, or at least there used to be. As a conscientious student, I studied harder for that exam than I had ever studied for anything in my life, only to learn the next day from a friend that many people had simply bought the answers for $300. Read more>>
Emily Adolph
My journey has really been one of listening inward and following what felt aligned, even when it wasn’t the most clearly outlined path. I started The Soul Lift as a way to help people reconnect with themselves through meditation, energy work, sound healing, and intentional community spaces. Read more>>
Brandon Anson
I started as a Plumber right out of high school I didn’t know anything about the trade. I just got into it as an opportunity from a family member that knew the owners wife. Read more>>
Alex & Tyler Hardman
Our story started with a shared background in competitive athletics and a passion for performance training. Both of us, Alex and Tyler, are former college sprinters with experience in football and baseball, so we’ve lived firsthand what structured training, proper recovery, and smart programming can do for performance and injury prevention. Read more>>
Latoyia Smith
Honestly having a profession as an Artist may as well been a curse word to me growing up. Not that my family discouraged me; in contrary along with working at a factory in Passaic, NJ my father was an incredible artist and Photographer. Read more>>
Natasha Coco Benitez
My mother convinced me to go to my very first spin class in 2008. I was addicted to the energy and magnetism of group fitness right away! Before long, I changed my mindset about movement and eating, which shifted my physical appearance and made wellness a top priority in my life. I knew I wanted to help others live a happier and healthier life. Read more>>
