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.
Elizabeth Barrera
I am the daughter of Colombian immigrants, and food has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad came to this country determined to build a life for his family. He worked incredibly hard, even when he didn’t speak the language. Eventually, he opened Los Cisnes, a Colombian restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and ran it for 15 years. Read more>>
Redd Martin
So at a very young age, I always thought when somebody died that if it was me, the world would be a better place at the age of seven my little brother, who was four years old drowned. Read more>>
Victor Lozada
I was born in The Bronx, September 5, 2001. Very fresh into a climate of beauty & chaos as 9/11 would occur just days after coming home for the first time. My mom ultimately decided to move my younger sister & I to South Carolina alongside my grandparents who came down here to retire. Read more>>
Alma Dunnavant
My story started in Guatemala, where I was born. When I was five years old, my mother brought our family to the United States. I still remember arriving at LAX on Halloween night in 1982. I remember looking out the airplane window at all the city lights and feeling completely amazed and excited. I had no idea then what that journey would eventually become. Read more>>
Lisa White
I started my treat business at a time when I knew I was done having kids and needed something to pour myself into. After working in a bakery decorating cakes and dipping strawberries, I knew creating brought me peace. So I turned that passion into something of my own, and my business became my new baby. Read more>>
Aimee Schinasi
While studying to earn my Masters Degree in Chinese Medicine between 2001-2005, the first Community Acupuncture clinic was opening their doors in Portland Oregon where I was. This was called, at that time, Window of the Sky (now renamed Working Class Acupuncture). It was being opened by Lisa Rohleder, a recent graduate from my school. Read more>>
Elizabeth Johnson
I’ve always been into the arts since I was a young child. When I first began my main medium was graphite, I loved drawing my favorite cartoon characters as well as celebrities. Overtime I begin adding my own flair to the characters that I was drawing by changing their color palette or adding details that I felt represented the character. Read more>>
Jamie Daskalis
Restaurants have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in my father’s diners in New York, so hospitality wasn’t really something I chose at first. It was simply the world I knew. Eventually, I realized I wanted to make food my own career. Read more>>
Ceiara Cartony
Namaste in Nature began in 2017, stemming from our love of practicing yoga and meditation in nature. Surrounded by the beauty of Asheville’s hiking trails and the Blue Ridge Mountains, we began imagining how we could bring together the elements of hiking, forest bathing, and mindfulness to create a deeper wellness experience. This vision led us to create our Micro Retreats™. Read more>>
Ashley Felder
I got certified in Pilates in Northern California in 2000. Upon moving back to South Carolina in 2007, I promptly opened up Pilates of Forest Acres. My work with clients tends to be on a more therapeutic level, as I want to help people find balance and efficiency of movement in their bodies. I also incorporate Thai bodywork in my sessions. Read more>>
Patrick Reid O’Brien
I have been a professional artist and creative entrepreneur for 40 years. I started with a love of drawing, painting, music, writing, and making things from nothing. That creative instinct has guided my whole life. I studied fine art and painting at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where I learned the discipline behind composition, color, and design. Read more>>
Dr. Joe DuPuy
I broke my back playing college football in 2000. My older brother John was in Chiropractic school at the time had encouraged me to visit him to get help. After a few adjustments during that visit my health did a 180. I’ve been on a journey ever since striving understand how the body works and heals itself. Read more>>
Moesha Riggans
I started De’vine Beauty with a simple love for beauty and a desire to create something that was more than just makeup. What began as a lash business eventually grew into a vision for a faith-based beauty brand centered around confidence, purpose, and sisterhood. As I grew, I realized I didn’t just want to sell beauty products. Read more>>
Bailey Weightman
I was born and raised in upstate NY. I went to University at Buffalo and completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences. I then went to dental school and received my DDS degree from Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. I completed a one year general practice residency through Stony Brook University Hospital. Read more>>
Colden Blades
High Peaks Electric started when Carson and I saw an opportunity to build something together that played to both of our strengths. Carson had already spent years building his career in the electrical trade, while I had spent nearly a decade building my own digital marketing company and developing a background in business and marketing. Read more>>
Charlotte Berger
In May 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, I launched CBPR to help struggling restaurants and nonprofits through those difficult times. At first, it was just me, a laptop and a dream. Client by client, press hit by press hit, we’ve grown into a firm of 15. Read more>>
Ray Corley
It all started 5 years ago a friend of mine gave me tickets to a comedy show. Said the lady producing the show was looking for comedians. He told her I was funny and told me I should go. I went and ask the lady about it and she told me she wasn’t looking for any comedians but I should enjoy the show. Read more>>
Brighid An Lasair
My story starts long before Labyrinth Walking ever existed. I grew up in a family spiritual tradition rooted in the elements, our ancestors, and honoring the earth and her cycles. There was never a moment where I ‘discovered’ this path, it was just woven into everyday life. Read more>>
Kevin White
I have had a camera in my hand, on and off for over 50 years. A few years ago my friends and family encouraged me to do something with my photography. So, in 2017 I open Kevin White Imagery. I was still working a full time job and started doing photo shoots in the evenings and weekends. It was very slow to start. Read more>>
Megan Phillips
This is the information I have as my ‘About me’ on my website, I think it covers the majority of the info! In 2014 Megan ran from the cold of Michigan to the warmth of South Carolina. After a short stint in Charleston she moved to Greenville, not knowing a soul and fell in love with the beauty of the city. Read more>>
Timothy Chorbadjian
I’ve been an artistblacksmith for 17 years making custom ornamental ironwork, gates, railing, fencing, drapery hardware, sculpture, furniture, and knives. Read more>>
Pastor Matthew D. Long, Jr.
I am Pastor Matthew D. Long Jr., Senior Pastor of Rock Hill Baptist Church II in Greenville, South Carolina. Understand where this church sits before you understand anything else about it. Rock Hill Baptist Church II stands on Plantation Road, on land that was once a working plantation. Read more>>
Trevon Smalls
I started FOCUS PEOPLE as a mindset before it was ever clothes. I’m from Orangeburg, and I wanted to build something that reminded people to lock in to focus on the good, even in the chaos. Read more>>
Angela Roe
My journey started with childhood sketches and sunset-watching when I should’ve been doing homework. It eventually led me to the Art Institute of Chicago and a career in commercial design working in New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta before moving to the Savannah Area. Read more>>
Erika Berr
I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, I rode horses and in junior high our family veterinarian Dr. Rezzonico allowed me to begin shadowing him. I then went to Colorado State University for her Bachelor’s in Animal Sciences, where I continued volunteering and shadowing another veterinarian, Dr. Read more>>
Francesca DiSalvo-Follmer
My path into the events industry really started long before I officially launched my business. I was raised in the hospitality industry, so from an early age I was surrounded by the importance of service, attention to detail, and creating an experience that made people feel genuinely cared for. Read more>>
Jodie Appel
My story with opening the Asheville Salt Cave really begins with my father, Neal. Read more>>
Debbie Baisden
I’m a mom to 4 boys (Paul, Brad, Andrew, and Joshua, or “PBAndJ” for short) that I had in a span of four years. My home is full of volume, violence, and destruction at all times. How ironic that I never even wanted kids yet became a baby factory. Unexpectedly widowed in 2012, my world was turned upside down. Read more>>
Elaina Ruth
I definitely wasn’t the kid who grew up wanting to be a chef. Honestly, the kitchen was just where I went to do my homework and eat. Cooking just wasn’t something I had a passion for early on. That really showed in high school. Read more>>
