Hidden Gems: Local Businesses & Creatives You Should Know

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.

Pam Cho

My love of nature started very early. My dad taught my two sisters and me how to identify bird songs, trees and flowers growing up. Our mom encouraged us to play outside in all kinds of weather — sunny days, rain, and snow. Being outdoors has always brought me comfort and joy. Read more>>

Aiyana Welch-Muraski

I was raised very sustainably, with a plant-based diet, a home garden, a wood stove instead of a furnace, and an area with so many trees we didn’t even need AC in the summer! Composting and recycling were part of my family’s weekly chores, and we always tried our best to repair items before tossing them. Read more>>

Julian Crosson-Hill

I’ve been involved in helping guide and facilitate gay men’s spirituality for about 25 years. During that time, I worked in software engineering but always had a desire to make my spiritual work my main living. I experimented at doing this in different ways including becoming a yoga instructor and teaching workshops. Read more>>

Scarlett Walker

I have always loved photos. I rememer looking at old family photos when I was a kid and knowing how special it was so have those memories. I had a little izone camera, like a polaroid, and I’d carry it around everywhere. When I got my first digital camera, it was like the floodgates had been opened. I took pictures of EVERYTHING. Read more>>

Veronica Fronczak

It all started with me helping coordinate my best friends wedding back in 2020. Her wedding inspired me to think hard about opening my own business to help others on their big day. In June 2021, I officially opened ICGTDE and my motto is to ‘Go the Distance’ for each of my clients for their events. Read more>>

Derek Talib

My best friend and myself founded i71Movies in 2016 here in Columbus Ohio. We had appeared as ‘preferred extras’ working through Angela Boehm casting here in Ohio. Angela’s company cast extra talent in all the major films done here in Ohio from the recent Superman to Captain America the Winter Soldier. Read more>>

Sarah Kallile

Moms are the ones to turn to when there’s a problem to be solved. This was the case for Sarah Kallile, a Dayton, Ohio mom who caught a glimpse of her frumpy, lumpy nursing bra in the mirror in those hazy and difficult postpartum days. Read more>>

Aethan “Quil” Seawright

I’ve always loved tattoos and been drawn to them from a young age. When I was 12, I got to see my first professional tattoo procedure on my uncle’s arm being done and it just made me more curious. I also have always loved art in many forms but was trash at art until around high school. Read more>>

Carlos E. Ramos

The Tea Lab started on September 1st, 2013, founded by Robert Holcepl. After a successful 13 year career in outside adverting, for a local weekly newspaper, Free Times, I was downsized during the 2010 recession. In mid-August, 2016, Mr. Holcepl, who was a former client, was looking to sell The Tea Lab. As a customer, I saw the potential in the business,. Read more>>

Maribeth Graham

I started my career over 20 years ago in sales and business development, and at the time, I do not think I fully realized how much that path would shape me. What drew me in early on was the relationship side of the business. I liked learning about people, understanding what they were trying to accomplish, and finding ways to help them get there. Read more>>

Darrell Kenny

My wife and I were already making our own soft plastics for ourselves. I had been posting about my bait making journey to my social media accounts and had been getting quite a few requests from people to buy my plastics. Read more>>

Eric Bosshard

Our family had always dreamt of opening a coffee shop, our oldest daughter was drawing layouts when she was 10-12 years old. So this was not a spur of the moment thing, it was always a dream. Read more>>

Dani Venen

Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved visual media. From drawing to taking pictures to making short movies with my friends and family. My grandparents on my Dad’s side would travel a lot and take videos and photos of nature. Read more>>

Lamar Thomas

I started this brand as Take Flight Empire and it was mainly from sports, traveling, and drawing. Over the years I converted my drawings into more of the digital world and just made designs. Over the years I started as a streetwear brand and now with the new name “Impero Prendi IL Volo” we are a luxury streetwear brand. Read more>>

Zebulon Thomas

There’s a quote that has stayed with me throughout my life: ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Whether it’s attributed to Maya Angelou or someone else, the truth behind it has shaped the way I approach every project. Read more>>

Kristyn Watson

I opened Adaptive Habit Studio in 2024 as a mobile spray tan artist, offering all-natural, sunless tanning services using clean, organic-based ingredients. I wanted to provide a healthier alternative to traditional tanning—one that helps people feel confident in their skin without compromising their wellness. My passion for health and wellness comes from my own journey. Read more>>

Logan Couch

I am the proud owner of Couch Creative Media, a video and photo company that has been going strong for over 6 years in the Greater Cincinnati Area. My camera has taken me all the way from Elton John’s farewell tour to NCAA tournaments to 100+ wedding days. I specialize in documentary videography and photography and every day I get to do what I love. Read more>>

John Clark

My wife and I are native Kentuckians who moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1992. We were immediately drawn to the German Village neighborhood and rented an apartment here. German Village is a privately restored 19th century German immigrant community that was threatened by urban renewal in the 1950s, before a small group of self-described urban pioneers began working to save it. Read more>>

Vigatron / Vig Norris

What happens when you mix the quirkiness of De La Soul, empowerment of Public Enemy, brashness of N.W.A., and sexual frustration of Richard Pryor? You get Vigatron, performer extraordinaire. Vigatron is a writer, rapper, poet, actor, producer and podcaster. Born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio, he started a creative journey emulating the moves of Michael Jackson and then the complexities of Prince. Read more>>

Dr Jesse Sanders

My story is rooted in faith, purpose, healing, and transformation. I started with a desire to help people have the kinds of conversations that can truly change the direction of their lives. Over time, that calling became bigger than just counseling or speaking , it became a movement. Read more>>

Dwight Young

BLOC started with me, a youth pastor, and my wife Stephanie offering after school activities, character-building motivational events and mentoring at west side middle and high schools in the late 1990’s. Read more>>

Alex Varney

Brief Overview: My parents and I started Pinnacle Pets Play & Stay from nothing in 2016 with the desire to create a safe place that cared about pets the same way we cared about our own pets – like family members with individual personalities. Read more>>

Sara Vecchi

I’ve been doing the odd freelance design job on the side since I graduated college back in 2012. I got my first full-time design job in 2016 working for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC) as their Publication Design Specialist. After having my second son, I left LSC and began working for a local digital printing company in order to work closer to home. Read more>>

Sophie Owens

I’ve always loved making things, the outlet just changed as I got older. Growing up I made video games, websites, model train layouts, artwork, you name it. Cosplay always interested me but I had no idea where to start. Around 2015 I did a bunch of research online and put together a pretty budget friendly Boba Fett costume for my local convention. Read more>>

Bakhtavar (Becca) Desai

I came to Ohio in 2003 with my family and since then we have been in Fairfield. I worked as a public accountant for some years, until i decided to give up my career to become a caregiver to my aging parents and be a full time mom to my three kids. Read more>>

Braisha Owens- Mount

I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, and creativity has always been the foundation of who I am. I spent my childhood immersed in the arts, attending performing arts schools from middle school through high school, where I developed a strong background in visual art. Read more>>