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.

Kailei Brown

Every part of my journey has truly been a testament to just how good God is and how He will make a way—always. My story really starts with 14-year-old me during my freshman year of high school. I knew I wanted to be my own CEO one day; I just had absolutely no idea what I wanted to be the CEO of yet, lol. Read more>>

Velia Ochoa Ramos

I was born in Columbus, Ohio, to immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico. Although Ohio has always been my home, I was baptized in Kyle, Texas. I grew up alongside my twin sister, Braylia, my younger sister Tanya, my youngest sister Kimberly, and my brother Oscar. When I was seven years old, my parents divorced. Read more>>

Heather McCormick

I began my art career under great adversity. My art was born during a complex ptsd diagnosis. I began using art as a catharsis and as a way to be kind to my mind. I painted with my hands often and began making mixed media pieces and furniture creations. I pushed through and I never gave up. Read more>>

Andi Noonan

My story really started long before I ever imagined owning a business. I’ve been a registered nurse for more than 15 years, primarily in home healthcare, and nursing has always been at the root of who I am professionally. Read more>>

Carolina Leiva

Wine runs through my veins; I grew up in the countryside, surrounded by the earth and with a deep love for local culture that would ultimately shape every step of my journey. Added to this root is a profound conviction: sustainability, recycling, and environmental care are not just concepts, but ethical and vital pillars that run through everything I do. Read more>>

Mona Gazala

Thanks, VoyageOhio. My name is Mona, but you can also pronounce it Muna, the Arabic way. I am an artist, writer and filmmaker, but I have also been in abusive relationships, been a struggling single mother, a low-wage service industry worker, community organizer, and a later-in-life grad student. Add to that, a descendent of Palestinian Nakba survivors. Read more>>

Sherry Patterson

I had a liver transplant on October 30th 2021, while in hospice care, I was fighting for my life , received a life saving transplant at the University of cincinnati medical center, also being a diabetic with flections in my sugar and surviving 2 huge fires in 2 years I also needed an animal to detect the VOC enzymes (. Read more>>

Dom Campbell

I got hooked on filmmaking before I understood it was a career option. I was fourteen at a summer camp making a scrappy little short called Fork with a bunch of other kids, and I remember being way more into the filming and editing than anything else that summer. That ‘putting something together’ feeling never really left. Read more>>

nancy schwartz-katz

My Story I grew up in Cleveland Heights, University Heights suburbs of Cleveland in a family where art, Jewish tradition and community were all important parts of life. Some of my earliest art experiences were classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Art. Read more>>

Jonathan Ruff

Jonathan “Severe Tha Boss” Ruff was born to parents John and Patricia Ruff on January 2, 1987. Originally hailing the Westside of Cleveland, it was there where he first began getting involved with music. Ruff lived in Cleveland for thirteen years, and then moved to West Michigan neighboring the city of Grand Rapids. Read more>>

SARAH DORSKY

I started my career as an emergency department nurse, then went back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. After graduating, I worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner and started doing some work with Hydrate Me on the side. Read more>>

Katrina Hart

Before The Itsy Bitsy Veggie Co. started, I was a hobby gardener and my son Elijah loved being outside helping me in the garden. When the winter months came around, we really missed watching everything grow, all of the colors, and probably most of all, the fresh food. Somewhere along the way we stumbled across microgreens and decided to give them a try. Read more>>

Stacey Osorio

There are properties that look like opportunities from the start. Notestone was not one of those. When my dad, Mark, first heard about the land, it had been sitting idle for years. Four cabins on 14 acres in the Hocking Hills, all of them long past habitable. The drives were overgrown. The structures were occupied mostly by wildlife. Read more>>

Miljan Krunic

Born and raised in Serbia, I took my first major step toward my career at eighteen when I moved to Graz, Austria, to study music at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz. During my studies I worked as a singer at Opera Graz and Choir Unsere Klangraum from Leibnitz, Austria. Read more>>

Angela Brown

My journey into coaching started long before I officially called myself a coach. I was naturally the person people came to for guidance, encouragement, strategy, and honest feedback. I found purpose in mentoring people through career decisions, business ideas, personal challenges, and moments when they needed someone to help them recognize what was possible. A major turning point came when my corporate employer ceased operations. Read more>>

DJ THA DJ

Honestly, I never really thought about becoming a DJ growing up\. Sports were always my first love and my main focus\. But I grew up in a home where music was always playing\. My parents listened to all types of music, especially old\-school rap and R&B, so music was always a big part of my life\. Read more>>

Todd Reed

I always had a vision of doing an interactive Halloween horror attraction. I met my wife eight years ago, and realized she shared the same dream. We started out by going to Halloween trade shows, we watched DIY Haunted House documentaries, and then we started going to haunted houses all over the United States. Read more>>

Tylar Willis

All Things Ty began during the pandemic in July 2020. My best friend was planning a gender reveal for her second child, my goddaughter and wanted to order chocolate-covered treats from a baker. Read more>>

Ni’Tasha Keyes

My story really begins with me being a student-athlete. I had talent, I had basketball, and from the outside it may have looked like I had everything I needed to succeed. Internally, though, I struggled with confidence and mental health issues that I didn’t understand at the time. Basketball became my outlet. Read more>>

Nevaeh Brown

I have always dreamed of being an actress ever since I was a little girl. I would walk around my room and pretend to win awards, have press conferences, show love to my fans, and so much more. I started taking it serious in 2021 when I signed up for classes in Michigan. Read more>>

Allison & Paul Mishurda

We moved to Lebanon in 2003, Allison coming from Dayton and Paul coming from Cincinnati. We married in 2005, and raised our blended family in this beautiful little town, with a dream to move to Yellow Springs one day, and open a little shop to run together after our children had grown and moved out on their own. Read more>>

Kimberly Adams

I’ve always loved making a house feel like a home, and I’ve never been afraid to roll up my sleeves and do the work myself. What started as a creative hobby began with wood-framed signs featuring cute sayings in vinyl. Read more>>

Karlo Zuzic

In July of 2022 I was looking to buy a bigger house. So I seen this listing for this 5 bedroom 4 bath home that was built in 1898 so I went to look at it. After seeing it I wanted it but it needed some work but it was big and just cool looking. Read more>>

Corinne Ayanna

Before tattooing, I explored art through a lot of different mediums. I went to fashion school, designed and sold clothing, and later became an abstract painter. I had my own art studio, participated in art shows and sold work that was largely centered around women’s anatomy, social injustice and the experiences of women. Creativity has always been a part of my daily life. Read more>>

Brandon Barekman

Ill try to give as much detail without droning on.. Well to start, i was born Brandon J. Tawney (originally) in the Fountain Valley, Orange County California. Read more>>

Kelti Ziese

When my husband, Tanner, & I (Kelti) first started Coda Co. it began as a date night idea. We were crafty people who loved to try new things & do something different than the typical dinner & a movie date night. So, we began searching for fun projects on Pinterest. Date night Pinterest dates turned into making our own products to sell at local markets. Read more>>

Joseph Roharik

I realized I can be a part of The Game Industry since just after 5th grade. I’ve been playing games practically since I was born. My story started gaining traction with this business. I started repairing devices, and myself. This really had me figure out how what I love intersects with how I can service others. It changed everything in the best way. Read more>>

Jocelyn Edwards

I would say that my journey as young as five years old. Being inspired by creatives around me and always wanting to be able to express myself in similar ways. Of course, then as the years go by your ideas, goals, and aspirations may change and shift a bit, but ultimately, they helped shape me. Read more>>

Gina Marciniak

I have been in the matchmaking industry for about 15 years, and I can genuinely say that I found the career I was meant to have. I started my career with a national matchmaking company, where I spent more than a decade working directly with singles and learning every side of this business. What started as a job became something I became incredibly passionate about. Read more>>

Ben Riffe

started by trading sketchbooks for machine grip, grinding through endless hours of pulling lines and packing solid color. I didn’t just want to tattoo; I wanted to master the heavy outlines and bold punch of American Traditional and neo-traditional work. My walls filled up with custom flash—from roaring bear heads and mountain landscapes to intricate marine sleeves, bull sharks, and lucky slot machines. Read more>>

House of No Era

House of No Era began in New Orleans, where I got my start working as a freelance stylist, staging for some of the city’s leading antique dealers and showrooms. That experience became the foundation for what would eventually become House of No Era. From there, the work naturally expanded beyond showroom styling into furniture dealing, private consignments, interior styling, art direction, and creative production. Read more>>

Abby Chandler

My husband John and I started Paladin Brewing in 2015. That year was rough, to say the least. John had a 15-hour surgery to remove a stage 4, baseball-sized tumor from his sinus cavities. Our 9-year-old jumped out of a tree and broke his arm. We opened Paladin with 4 beers on tap. Then our 4-year-old broke his femur. Read more>>

Ashley Dishion

After my own personal struggles with chronic illnesses and being told I would have these diagnoses requiring lifelong medication and not finding answers with traditional medicine I dove into research studying places in the world where people live the longest and healthiest. From there I began implementing alternative health strategies and have since found optimal health and wellness without the use of traditional medications. Read more>>

Candice Crear

From Fatherless to Fearless® is celebrating its fifth year as a nonprofit organization—and 2025 was a year of significant growth and impact. We expanded our reach from 4 to 8 B.R.I.D.G.E.® sites, launched new programming, strengthened our organizational capacity, and served more than 325 girls, mothers, and families. The impact of our work is reflected in the experiences of the girls we serve. Read more>>

Nani Montanez

My journey started with a love for performing and creating. Growing up in Milwaukee, I was always drawn to modeling, acting, dancing, and fashion. I began modeling as a teenager through TFP photography, eventually receiving runway coaching and gaining experience in music videos, dance performances, commercial work, and runway. Read more>>

Emily Sullivan

I have always loved art – throughout grade school, I always said I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Art was always my favorite class in school. I studied painting and art education at Xavier University and then went on to pursue an MFA in Painting at Colorado State University. Read more>>

Dremel Tucker

Dre Meezy (Dremel Tucker) Drem On Productions Dremel (DreMeezy) Tucker was born in the Funk Capital of the world, Dayton, Ohio which bread such acts as; Heatwave, Lakeside, The Ohio Players & Zapp. Robert Tucker (father) was the lead singer & founder of The Sensational Voices of Faith, a local gospel group. The group would rehearse at the Tucker home several times a week . Read more>>

Devon Teeple

My story has never followed a straight line, but every part of it has contributed to where I am today. Baseball was my first great passion. I played, coached and eventually began writing about the game, creating The GM’s Perspective as a way to highlight independent baseball and the people whose stories often went unnoticed. Read more>>

Cayden Halsey

I grew up in Portage Lakes, where my dad was an MMA fighter. He ran his own gym, competed in and hosted fights, and trained other fighters. From a young age, I was constantly surrounded by the fight world and the brotherhood of guys he had around him. In 2012, when I was nine years old, my dad passed away from suicide. Read more>>

catrina Mills

Tell Me About Yourself’- I used to be intimidated by this question .. When people ask me about my career, I tell them it really started long before I ever held the title of chef. I grew up in Chicago in a family business. At seven years old, I was helping my mother with her catering company. Read more>>

Kate DeL

I’ve always been drawn to music that feels timeless — the Great American Songbook, jazz, Broadway, old Hollywood, and the kind of songs that make you feel like you’ve stepped into another era. Read more>>

Tannayia Thomas

When I was a little girl I would make little dances and “attempt” to sing for my family. It grew into a deposed love and talent when my family started to call me microphone. My journey officially started with theater when I was 13, where I discovered how much I loved performing and connecting with an audience. Read more>>