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.
Josiah Smith
As someone who has always struggled with identity as a mixed-heritage child (mixed African-American and Thai), I struggled with feeling like I didn’t ‘fit in’ with the Black kids, nor the Asian kids. Read more>>
Sara Conner
I didn’t start with a business plan—I started with a question: is this all there is? Born and raised in the island of Jamaica, I have have overcome a lot of different situations such as the murder of my mother to sexual assaults. Sometimes that’s all you’re left with is a question that pulls you up and out. Read more>>
Kiana Kearney
I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always the one walking around with a cheap little digital camera, taking photos of everything—nature, my family, anything that caught my eye. Read more>>
Lily Jones
I’ve always had this restless feeling that there was something bigger out there for me. I’m constantly chasing the next goal because I’ve realized that comfort is often just a sign of stagnation; if you aren’t uncomfortable, you aren’t growing. These last three years have been a whirlwind of pushing past my own boundaries. Read more>>
Michelle Mares
Hi, I’m Michelle Mares. I didn’t always see myself going into cosmetology. In fact, when I first started, I wasn’t fully invested in the idea. Read more>>
Moses Simbi
I was born in Nairobi Kenya and moved to Canada chasing a bigger vision for my life. Growing up as the youngest and only boy in a family of 8 sisters and losing both my parents recently has taught me resilience and purpose. Read more>>
Eric Blazej
I moved to the Dallas–Fort Worth area two years ago and earned my real estate license shortly after. I started in leasing during my first few months, which gave me a very hands-on education in the different neighborhoods, client needs, and market dynamics across the metroplex. That foundation was important because DFW is not a one-size-fits-all market. Read more>>
Daisy Bermejo
Being an artist has always been a big part of who I am. From a young age, I would get in trouble for drawing on other kids, and ditching gym to hang out in the art room. I went to college to become an art teacher. My mom and grandad were teachers, so I thought that was what I was supposed to do as well. Read more>>
Gabriela Vallejo
It was during COVID, everything was shut down and everyone was home. I was a full time student at the University of Texas in Arlington and my classes were online. I was always known as a creative person and I wanted to know how to portray that. Read more>>
Maci Lee
I became the owner of Jumping Tots DFW after seeing the potential in a business that was already bringing joy to families in our community. It had a strong foundation, but I knew there was an opportunity to elevate the experience and build something more intentional and brand-driven. Read more>>
Sarena Chism
My journey started with the vision of financial freedom and the desire to start my own business. Real Estate came to me as an opportunity to advance myself and utilize my previous experience in Marketing as a tool to launch my career. In the midst of uncertain times, I decided to jump feet first into betting on myself. Read more>>
Danielle Brown
Eat Beauty was birthed in 2014. It’s conception began from a need to be a parent and a provider. My eldest son was diagnosed with Autism which left a great need of care and attention that seemed impossible to do while working a 9-5. Read more>>
Leslie Sifuentes
I started my small business back in 2022, selling Croc charms. At the time, I only had one table filled with charms — and to me, it felt like so much. I wanted to join pop-up markets, but many vendor fees were too high. Since I was just starting out, it felt risky to invest that much money without knowing what I’d make back. Read more>>
Hakeem Vance
I’m originally from Olive Branch, Mississippi, just outside of Memphis, Tennessee, and my foundation was built through discipline, competition, and adaptability. I earned a football scholarship to Baylor University, where I competed at a high level and was part of a Sugar Bowl–winning team. Read more>>
Jessica Bennett
Honestly, my journey has had a few different chapters, and each one kind of built on the next, even when I didn’t realize it at the time. A lot of people actually know me from when I first started out as a licensed massage therapist. I graduated from Parker University, and I had my own practice. Read more>>
Jacqueline Camargo
My name is Jacqueline Camargo, and I’ve been part of Quinceañeras Magazine since 2012. For nearly 15 years, I’ve worked across markets like Kansas City, Denver, Dallas, and Chicago, helping grow a platform that celebrates the quinceañera as a meaningful cultural milestone for young Latinas and their families. As a mother, this work is deeply personal. Read more>>
Chanell Gladney
My journey didn’t start from a place of clarity, it started in survival mode. I experienced childhood trauma, became a teen mom at the age of 14, and later found myself navigating homelessness, domestic violence, and narcissistic abuse. Read more>>
Kayla and India Stovall-Moore and Johnson
Global Hues Travel was born from the shared passion of travel of us, two cousins, Kayla and India. Though we didn’t have the opportunity to travel much until adulthood, we’ve made it a priority ever since. In the past 10 years, we’ve explored 32 countries (and counting!). Read more>>
Maxie Graham
I’ve always been someone with multiple passions, and Minx Monè was born from one of them. My journey with lashes started back in 2018 when I became obsessed with getting my own lash extensions done. Before that, I wore strip lashes, but I quickly realized I wanted something more effortless and long-lasting. Read more>>
Ti King
My journey behind the lens actually started right here in North Texas. I grew up in a small, impoverished town in rural Arkansas, but every summer was an escape to my grandparents’ home in Dallas. My grandmother had this massive, shoulder-mounted video camera, and I spent those summers documenting everything I could see. Those Texas summers planted the seed for what would become my career. Read more>>
Jenna Johnson
I’ve always been driven by curiosity — a desire to understand how living systems work, how people learn, and how we can help others thrive. My journey really began with a deep curiosity about science, research, and how living systems work. Read more>>
Richard Rabinowitz
Over 20 years ago, we were commissioned by a major international camera corporation that was highly successful globally but had limited presence in the U.S. market. Their goods from other categories dominated here, but not their actual camera line. Their initial strategy to get into the U.S. market was to send a national sales force into independent camera stores to introduce the product line. Read more>>
Estelle Hernandez
Kyotobrew is something my siblings and I had been thinking about for many years. My sister has long been into baking, and when we were young I used to jokingly ask her if she would open her bakery next door to my coffee shop. Read more>>
Jonathan Minjares
I started in my bedroom during my junior year of high school. With the help of my parents I bought some recording gear mainly to record myself for band during covid lockdown. As time went on I started making my own music and decided to pursue music composition in college at UNT. Read more>>
Ryan Null
I got started because of my eighth-grade teacher and her belief that I was born to be a writer. She was the reason I started writing. I loved reading in school and was reading over 300 books a year in middle school. I was challenged to write something unique and original, which became the prequels to The Flare Chronicles. Read more>>
Devonte Doss
I didn’t find photography—it found me through my aunt. I still remember the day she placed my first camera in my hands; it wasn’t anything fancy, but it changed everything for me. She didn’t teach me with rules or settings—she taught me how to see. Things like the way light hits just right or how a simple moment can hold so much emotion. Read more>>
Nicolas Fernandez
I am a huge mental health advocate. I have found that through art and painting I can channel my energy in a way that is empowering and therapeutic. I hope that I am able to create pieces that resonate with others or evoke a feeling of familiarity. Read more>>
Aditri Teotia
My journey hasn’t been very linear. Read more>>
Alondra Martinez
Growing up with immigrant parents instilled in me a deep sense of discipline, resilience, and responsibility. From an early age, I understood that success is earned through hard work, sacrifice, and consistency. That foundation has guided every decision I’ve made. Throughout my career, I’ve taken on a variety of roles, each one refining a different skill set. Read more>>
Tynetta Dance
My journey into coaching and leadership development wasn’t something I stumbled into, it was something I built intentionally, step by step. I’ve spent decades leading in both the public and private sectors, navigating complex environments, managing teams, and driving results. From the outside, everything looked successful, but internally, I knew there was more. Read more>>
Grace Moreno
I took up a photography class at TJC community college back in 2013. I grew my interest in college and chose mass Communication or media as my bachelors.first job out of college was shooting for a local magazine. I opened up my own event photograph business soon after that and have been doing so for 11 years! Read more>>
Alyssa Lopez
Toward the end of 2024 is when I started to get into content creation. It was also the year I became a mom and learned to navigate a new routine, while still trying to find small moments for myself throughout the day. I started sharing my motherhood journey, and it quickly turned into a creative outlet that I genuinely loved. Read more>>
Jessica De Santiago
I actually started this as a mom just trying to make my kids’ parties special. I love doing stuff like that, so I would have my dad—he’s a carpenter—help me build custom props for their parties. But after every party, I’d end up throwing everything away, and I remember thinking like… this doesn’t make sense. Read more>>
Randa Delati
I began my journey into aesthetic medicine in April 2024 while continuing to work as a dental hygienist, a career that has always allowed me to connect closely with patients and help them feel confident in their smiles. Read more>>
Chelsea Holzer
I’ve always felt that my niche is rooted in the arts. I explored just about every creative outlet growing up, and baking was always one of the many areas where I found joy. To me, it naturally falls under that same umbrella of creativity and expression. I started Butter Days simply because I wanted to make cakes for my family and friends. Read more>>
Amir Rahimi
I am a Hip Hop collector from Los Angeles, California. I am 33-years old, and purchased my first CD in middle school. I got into Hip Hop after my friend burned me Tupac’s ‘Me Against The World’ on CD. Since that moment, I was hooked. I slowly started to purchase music since then, at the height of the downloading era. Read more>>
LaKenya Kopf
The origin story of my entrepreneurial journey is becoming more common in the military world. As a military spouse, we were constantly PCSing every three years. While most companies state they are open to hiring military spouses, most frown upon training new employees with the knowledge that they will lose them when new (military) orders come through. Read more>>
Mark Hartfeld
While my roots trace back to the Pacific Northwest, a large portion of my life, both during my military years and afterward, was spent in Texas and throughout the South. Today, I split my time between the Dallas–Fort Worth area and Boise, Idaho, where the mountains provide a creative reset and balance to city life. Read more>>
Liz Carole
I started stand-up comedy in June of 2024 after a year of writing material (but not having actually performed it). I always knew I wanted to be a comedian, but I didn’t know that was an option available to me. Read more>>
Shaelaundra McLeish
Shaelaundra McLeish I was born and raised in Maypen, Clarendon, Jamaica, and my roots are at the heart of everything I do. Island Ease Wellness came from that my culture, my environment, and the feeling of home. When people experience a session with me, I want it to feel like the island itself. A moment where you can breathe deeply, let go, and reset. Read more>>
Ana Lanier
10 years ago, my husband gave me a camera for Christmas after I mentioned on a trip to Paris that I wished I had a better one. What started as simple curiosity quickly turned into a real passion. I took classes to learn how to shoot in manual mode, started studying portrait photography, and realized I had found something I truly loved. Read more>>
Luis & Jacqueline Caceres & Galindo
Amaru Events started from a vision we had one day, something that felt natural to us based on what we already loved doing. Over time, it grew into something more as we continued to learn, evolve, and work our way into building the brand we have today, and we’re still growing and becoming better with every event. Read more>>
Tamerick Brazzell
My story started at 3 years old singing old hymns in the little English that I knew. I come from a family singers and they had me repeating notes and runs after them, which led me to singing in the children’s choir. The older I got, the more I grew a love for music and found music to be my passion. Read more>>
Ashley Aranda
I’ve always felt like photography has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always dreamed of having a professional digital camera but could never afford one. But nonetheless, I would buy the cheap $50 digital cameras that were popular back then just because I loved taking pictures and documenting special people in my life. Read more>>
Francesca Schell
I inherited my love of photography from my dad, who seemed to always have a camera or camcorder in hand as we were growing up. Photos and photo albums were always very important to my family and extended family. Prints and photo albums were considered family treasures, and as a child I would spend hours flipping through pages of memories. Read more>>
Chris Dicken
In 1955, EC Dicken, Inc. became the inaugural tenant of the original Dallas Decorative Center. The 4,000 square foot showroom was a modest start, featuring ten furniture and floor covering lines. Today, our showroom has evolved and expanded, representing 50 plus brands of furniture, lighting, fabrics, wallcoverings, and window coverings. Read more>>
Danny Tran
I’ve always been a fan of stand up since a kid but I never saw many Asian comedians so I didn’t think people that look like me ever did it. When I was in college, I went to see a comedy show in Houston and the host was an Asian comedian named Victor Tran. Read more>>
Rylin Rossano
started my journey at a really young age, shaped by both passion and adversity. I graduated high school early at 15 while navigating chronic health challenges, including POTS and dysautonomia, which forced me to slow down in a world that constantly pushes you to speed up. Read more>>
Lacey Snyder
My story in fashion didn’t start in a boardroom—it started on the sales floor. My very first job was in retail, and I was immediately hooked. I loved the energy, the styling, the connection with customers… but more than anything, I loved seeing how fashion could completely shift someone’s confidence. Read more>>
Mike Fowler
Today I’m a husband, a father, a man of faith, and I specialize professionally in helping restore relationships as a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist. This particular trajectory actually started almost two decades ago, but looking back I can see how my experiences were leading me here. The drive to help marriages actually comes from a drive to see families thrive. Read more>>
Olivia Orbin
The first time I picked up a camera was the beginning of highschool. I found an old Canon camera in my mom’s closet and immediately wanted to take photos as well as be in front of the camera. Read more>>
Antares Felton
Antares Productions was established in December of 2022, and started off as strictly a dance-film based company. All I had was my iPhone 12, a MacBook, and a dream of creating outside-of-the-box dance creations that told deep and personal stories. During my undergrad at UNT, I created a total of 5 dance films and posted them on YouTube. Read more>>
Alexis Earman
The Woodbury Home began from a deep love for creating spaces that feel both beautiful and meaningful. What started as a personal passion for design quickly evolved into something more as I began sharing my work and connecting with others who were drawn to a similar aesthetic, timeless, elevated, and thoughtfully curated. Read more>>
Comille McAlpin
I became a licensed hairstylist in 2015 after graduating from the Paul Mitchell School of Arlington. I began my career in a commission-based salon in Arlington, stepping into the industry with a clear five-year plan. However, like many, my fifth year was met with the unexpected challenges of COVID. Refusing to let that setback derail my vision of salon ownership, I pivoted. Read more>>
Maria Viselli
I began reading after I had my daughter as a form of escape! I struggled with PPA & PPD, so doing something for my mental health was becoming more of a priority for me. One day I picked up a thriller (Verity) & then fell down the rabbit hole of thrillers, romance, rom-coms & fantasy. Read more>>
Kwame Thomas
I started out as someone who was really into fashion and wanted to create something of my own. At the same time, I had a background and interest in engineering and 3D modeling, which gave me a different perspective on how things could be designed and built. Read more>>
Remy Dupree
Jack of all trades, born number 3 of 5 children to mother (Audrey Jenkins) and number 2 of 2 to father (Charles Duty). Raised in Fort Worth Texas by my late grandmother Margie Jenkins. Fell in love with the comb at the young age of maybe 6-7(sneaking to play with my big sisters dolls). Read more>>
Courtney Stucky
I always thought I wanted to build a marketing agency, but then realized what I really needed to do was fix a problem I kept seeing up close: small business owners pouring money into “marketing services” but just getting copy‑paste tactics, vague numbers, and zero real partnership. Read more>>
Don Buford, MD
My path into orthopedics and sports medicine was shaped early. I grew up in a sports family—my father played professional baseball for 10 years in the United States and another 4 years in Japan—so high-level athletics and performance were part of everyday life. Read more>>
Kim Dyck
My journey into piercing began four years ago, after spending a decade working as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. While I’m grateful for my time in medicine, I found myself feeling increasingly burned out by the realities of a broken healthcare system. I knew I still wanted a career centered around people—something hands-on, meaningful, and rooted in connection—but I was ready for a different path. Read more>>
Brady and Whitney Johnson
We’re Brady and Whitney Johnson — we started our coffee journey back in 2023 when we purchased a coffee trailer after many years of dreaming of opening a coffee shop! Starting small was the best decision we ever made. Read more>>
Avery Fletcher Curb
My journey in photography began as a high school freshman when I picked up my first Canon DSLR camera. I fell in love with the craft and worked hard to purchase my own professional-grade camera during a Black Friday sale that same year. I attended West Texas A&M University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Equine Industry and Business. Read more>>
