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.

Simba Maswela

The Story Behind Drill4Life In the summer of 2011, a chance meeting between Stacey and 1 began a journey that would ultimately change lives in rural Zimbabwe. I met Stacey after responding to a carpet-cleaning advertisement. Read more>>

Elisa Vietri

I’ve always loved the thrill of the hunt and the stories behind old things. eleven years ago, I turned that passion into reality and opened Moonstruck CLE in Cleveland’s Little Italy. I started as a curated vintage shop for unique clothing and home decor, but over the last decade, we’ve grown into a true neighborhood staple. Read more>>

Laurie Klopper

After 12 years of practicing law, I followed my heart and opened Blush Boutique, a women’s boutique built around color, confidence, and community. At Blush, I curate vibrant, affordable pieces that help women feel beautiful. My legal background taught me precision and perseverance, but it’s the joy of connecting with women every day — sharing stories, laughter, and style — that truly inspires me. Read more>>

Aryan Abawi

I was laid off of my corporate project management job in November of 2025. After rejection and rejection, I just started to feel stuck. My hobbies include food, baking and health. So I decided to just start baking. After some time, I started PROTREATS because I was looking for something like this that hadn’t existed. Read more>>

Leigh Ann Fulford

Leigh Ann Fulford lost her sister to suicide in 2005 and is passionate about preventing others from going through the pain her family and friends went through when Lynda died. She is the founder/director of GEM Project Dayton that runs an annual youth art contest that promotes mental health. Read more>>

Nick Sheppard

My journey into photography and videography began in high school when I joined our school’s media team. I started by covering school events, sports, and activities, and I quickly realized how much I enjoyed capturing moments that people could look back on for years to come. That experience sparked a passion and gave me the foundation to continue learning outside of school. Read more>>

Ryan McKrell

I started in the trades about 7 years ago. At the time I was working in a cafe tinkering with almost any idea that came to mind. Most of my ideas took me to a completely different corner so I’d have to pick up all the nuances, tricks and advice I could. Read more>>

Cheryl McCoglan

I started Heal Nourish Grow after leaving my corporate job due to burnout. It’s been so great to feel like I’m doing meaningful work by providing tools to help people change their habits and move towards a healthier lifestyle. Read more>>

Jill Kaczmarowski

Where to start: Growing up was hard. I came from a broken home. My dad left when I was eight years old, and my mom became a single mother trying to do the best she could for me and my older brother. After my dad left, we lost almost everything and had to move into a small one-bedroom apartment. Life at home quickly became unhealthy. Read more>>

Sarah Kelsey

In the summer of 2014, fresh from a divorce and living with my parents, I was fairly strapped for cash but still wanted to make a statement on the weekends at the horse shows I was competing at. Read more>>

Nicholas Newman

As a 16-year-old boy being forced to live on the streets of Columbus, OH, I was left with little money. My brother and I decided to rent a carpet cleaner and we went door to door asking folks if we could clean their carpets. Later, I met my wife, Debbie, and we have been cleaning carpets off and on ever since. Read more>>

Laverne Hester II

My culinary journey started at just six years old, when I first discovered my passion for cooking. Growing up, food was more than something we ate it was a way to bring people together, celebrate culture, and create memories. That passion stayed with me throughout my life and eventually became the foundation of my career. Read more>>

Brittany Gidley

Before I ever imagined owning a photography business, I spent eight years working as a NICU nurse. Caring for premature babies and supporting families during some of life’s most meaningful moments was such fulfilling work. At the same time, photography was a fun little hobby that I started to dive into. Read more>>

Gabrielle Muscioni

I graduated highschool from Perkins HighSchool and was also licensed in 2016 from Ehove Career Center. I was prom queen in highscool, had a decent sized friend group, was social and had tons of support becoming a hairstylist. I began my career with a job I landed while I was in hair school still, competing in our Regional Skills USA Competition. Read more>>

Malaija Martin

I started my journey in the beauty industry at just 14 years old when I discovered my love and passion for hair artistry. Even at a young age, I loved how hair could completely transform someone’s confidence and make them feel beautiful. Read more>>

Jeremy Manson

I started playing guitar at a young age and always had an interest in music. By the age of 12-13 I was performing at jam nights consistently around my area. I have played in various original projects and have been consistently gigging even since. Read more>>

Paris Stephan Wallace

My name is Paris Stephan. I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. I can’t exactly pinpoint when I fell in love with music. It’s like trying to remember when I started breathing. I’ve always been around music, raised by 2 parents who were musicians both inside and outside of church. Read more>>

Sara Whittingham, MD

I am a physician, U.S. Air Force veteran, wife, and mother who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2020 at the age of 46. Like many people, I assumed Parkinson’s meant an inevitable future of decline. In some ways, my medical background made that fear worse. Read more>>

Chris Ellison

School bands led to drumlines, drumlines led to drum set, and pretty soon I was looking for any way to get behind a kit. Read more>>

blake king

B. King’s Firearms (BKF) is a veteran owned and operated manufacturer, specializing in AR-15 and AR-10 parts and accessories. The owner of BKF, Blake King, spent years deployed in the Middle East during his service in the United States Marine Corps. Read more>>

nathan timmel

I’d loved stand-up comedy since I was a child, but I didn’t start performing until after I graduated from college. I had a degree in English, which is fairly useless, so… Yeah. Why not stand on stage and make people giggle? Read more>>

Elizabeth Curtis

Men from St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Sunbury Ohio, as a part of their jail ministry, hold navigation meetings with inmates at the Delaware County Jail. These meetings are a part of the jail’s reentry program. During these meetings, the jail ministry learned that most of the men who came to their meetings had no place safe to go when released from jail. Read more>>

Renzo LaDon

Renzo Ladon fashion designer of Ladonwave started the brand in Akron Ohio 2020. But it didn’t start as the brand you see today! It first was a drawing of clothing designs with no resources to get produced but in 2020 my mom invested into Ladon & the wave began. LADON is an acronym for “Lions always dream over negativity”. Read more>>

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

My story begins with survival, faith, and the decision to become more than what happened to me. As a child, I experienced sexual abuse by a trusted teacher, beginning in the 5th grade and continuing for more than three years. For a long time, I carried pain, confusion, shame, and silence that never belonged to me. Read more>>

LaSalle Harris

A situation in which (I), La Salle N. Harris openly talks about the dark days when I was actively using drugs for over twenty-three years, was selling drugs, and involved in criminal activities. I had no purpose or direction. I was caught up in a lifestyle that was the only thing I knew. Read more>>

Dee Hannah

21 BlueLash was founded in 2020. When my daughter was 18 months old, she had a seizure and regressed in speech and developmental skills. It was as if a light switch had gone off. She stopped talking and going to the potty chair. No one knew what was going on, for there were no signs of any oncoming illness–especially epilepsy. She’s my only child. Read more>>

Grace Maryanovsky

When I was young, I always had a love for art and anything creative. I used to draw a lot when I was a child. When I was a teenager, I became more interested in makeup as my creative outlet. I shadowed a professional makeup artist for my Senior project in high school and realized that is what I wanted to do for my career. Read more>>

LaDashea Oakley

I’ve always had a passion for hair since I was a little girl, There’s something incredibly special about helping people feel beautiful, empowered, and like the best version of themselves. What started as a love for hair has grown into a career that I truly cherish. Over the years, I’ve especially fallen in love with bridal hairstyling. Read more>>

Linda Hinton

I have been a creative for as long as I can remember. Throughout my education, I was consistently involved in art classes, clubs, and community projects. With my family’s encouragement, I attended The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and graduated with a degree in Visual Communications in 1991. Following graduation, I focused on raising my family while working in retail and as a freelance artist. Read more>>

Amy Lahmers

I grew up on a family dairy farm near Wooster, Ohio, the oldest of four kids, and from a young age, I was surrounded by people who cared deeply about our community. Neighbors helping neighbors, teachers who stayed late, coaches who saw something in you before you saw it yourself, and pastors pouring into youth and families. Read more>>

Dat Kid Deuce

My name is Dat Kid Deuce, and music has always been more than entertainment to me—it’s been a way to tell my story, connect with people, and turn real-life experiences into something others can relate to. What started as a passion eventually became a purpose, and that purpose continues to drive me every day. Read more>>

Ronasia Mack

Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom bought me a small camera when I was a kid, and she always tells me how happy it made me. I carried that camera everywhere and never wanted to put it down. As I got older, that love for capturing moments never left. Read more>>

Bird’s Eye View Circus

Bird’s Eye View Circus is Toledo’s Premier circus training and performance space offering classes in aerial and ground acrobatics for youth and adults. It is a local small business. The co-owners Renee Granados, Morgan Sopko, Matthew Miller, and Chloe Whiting Stevenson strive to create a welcoming and inclusive space. Read more>>

Angelo Cottingham

I grew up in Westlake, Ohio as the oldest of seven kids. Business wasn’t something I really had to go around looking for. My mom is an entrepreneur in her own right and I grew up around people with a ‘build’ mindset. As a kid, I was always really fascinated by business related TV shows like Shark Tank, Property Brothers, and Unwrapped. Read more>>

Bill Hoffman

Yeah, so before I started Old Knive’s Tale, my background was in food service; primarily sushi. I have about eight years total experience working in sushi (2011-2019) in various cities, four of which were high-end fine dining. That’s the setting where I learned to sharpen knives. I learned mostly on traditional single bevel Japanese knives. Read more>>

Nicole Armstrong

I started my career as a graphic designer. After graduating from DAAP at the University of Cincinnati, I worked for an international NGO in Geneva, Switzerland, then went to graduate school at Suffolk University in Boston and built my career there for several years. Read more>>

Julie Goodall

My story begins back in the summer of 2000 when someone from my church asked me to consider offering art classes for homeschoolers. There were several homeschooling families in our church at that time, and I was schooling my oldest for kindergarten. Read more>>

Andra Polasky

I was honored to be chosen to be the Executive Director of Leadership Portage County in May of 2023. My career journey led me to this position at the perfect time in my life. I am an alumna of the Class of 2007, the ‘Best Class Every’ and I knew the impact the program has on professionals. Read more>>

Hsanni Scott-Matthews

I am an Author, Poet and filmmaker, serving the globe as the CEO of my company Soul Fire Productions! At the age of 8 years old I entered the realm of creativity capturing the ability to garner the attention of an audience, even if it is family. As a their personal writer and creating a production only they had the performance to enjoy. Read more>>

Danielle Thomas

My journey began with a passion for bringing people together through food and memorable experiences. What started as preparing meals and hosting gatherings for family and friends gradually grew into something much bigger. During Covid, I realized that creating an exceptional experience isn’t just about serving great food—it was about helping people celebrate life’s most important moments! Read more>>

Cassandra McKinney

My story began when my dad bought me my very first DSLR camera after I graduated. Photography had always been something I loved, I was the kid carrying a point and shoot camera everywhere, constantly taking photos of my friends and documenting memories. Once I got my “big girl” camera, I started photographing friends, their children, and their growing families. Read more>>