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.
Toyosi Ayanwola 
ajikeworld is the way I confirmed to myself that my creative practice could go further than just personal projects. I’ve always been interested in design, fashion, and more broadly all things beautiful– but I never thought about doing something about it outside of a hobby until about 2 years ago. ajikeworld actually started as an interior design and art curation studio. Read more>>
Chisato Fujii 
I was born in Toyama, Japan, and I come from a medical family, so no one in my family expected that I would end up becoming a dancer. My mom actually used to think ballet was something only people from noble families did. There was a cute pink building in our neighborhood with drawings of dancers on the walls. Read more>>
William Bessette 
My story starts with a love of writing. I grew up in Las Vegas, loved science fiction and poetry, and always wanted to write a book. Writing was my first passion, and it eventually became the foundation for my career. In my 20s, I spent nearly eight years working as a freelance journalist, covering entertainers, musicians, politicians, and shows throughout Las Vegas. Read more>>
Laura Bladen 
My story is typical of most artists. I have been drawn to art in one form or another for as long as I can remember. I am grateful to have had an art teacher in seventh grade who taught me the fundamentals of painting. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Henton 
My content creation journey began when I was 18 years old after becoming a young mom. I started sharing my life and experiences through “mommy content,” never expecting it to reach so many people. As my audience grew, so did the opportunities—I began working with brands, landing partnerships, and building a platform while living in my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Read more>>
Evelyn Minkyung Chang 
Evelyn Chang is a Texas Real Estate Broker, entrepreneur, mentor, and co-founder of EC Real Estate Group and RISE Nation Global. Over the years, what began as a career in real estate grew into a passion for helping people make confident decisions, build wealth, and create new opportunities through real estate. Read more>>
JEROME POULALIER 
I’m a French photographer, and my connection with Texas actually started about ten years ago. My wife is from Dallas, and that’s where we met while I was working on a documentary project about blind and visually impaired people. Since then, I’ve traveled back and forth to Texas many times, of course to visit family, but also to photograph and explore the state. Read more>>
Greg Belz 
I am basically a cheer leader for artists. As a child I attended Saturday and summer painting classes at The Memphis Art Academy; art was my favorite class in High School, and in 11th and 12th grades I took two art classes each day. Then, my parents forbade my becoming an art major in college. Read more>>
Jody Caudle
I started in radio when I was 19 years old. I walked in and told the station manager I wanted to work there. She said which position do you want and I replied yours. She laughed and said how bout we start you at the bottom and you work your way up. I said one day I will own this station. Read more>>
Damaris Aregbesola 
I started Voice4Brain anonymously at the end of my sophomore year, during the summer before my junior year. I was 15 years old, and my original goal was basically to create neuroscience content as a way to better understand the field and figure out what I wanted to get into. I created an Instagram account and just started posting neuroscience content. Read more>>
Lexus Risean
As a little girl, I always had dreams of being a singer when I grew up. I started out writing songs then I started writing poetry. I started singing in all my school choirs and church choirs. Read more>>
Heather Ramirez 
My story began in college, when I became an egg donor before having children of my own. Even then, I knew I wanted to help people create the families they dreamed of but could not build on their own. Years later, I got married and had two daughters. Read more>>
Anje Pearson 
I’ve spent more than 40 years working in public relations, branding, culture, and entertainment, so my career has never followed a straight line. I started in PR, worked in New York’s music and nightlife world, built campaigns, worked with brands, and eventually created businesses of my own. Madison + Rodeo grew out of that experience and my belief that brands need more than visibility. Read more>>
Kendall Triplett 
I’ve been a creative and performer since childhood, with music always being an important part of my life. My career has taken me through customer service, hospitality, and leadership, and today I’m a Sales Associate representing Neuraé Skincare by Sisley-Paris, where I combine my passion for beauty, style, education, and connecting with people. I’m also looking forward to resuming my musical endeavors. Read more>>
Carolyn McGlennon 
I’ve always been a creative. As far back as I can remember, I was making things or finding some way to create. One of my earliest memories is making myself a Little Mermaid costume out of printer paper and string because I wanted to be Ariel. So apparently I was committed to the vision pretty early! That never really changed as I grew up. Read more>>
Alexis Milner
I graduated with my nursing degree from the University of Alabama in 2019 and began my nursing career in the NICU in Atlanta, Georgia. After a couple of years, I moved to Dallas as a travel NICU nurse. My time in the NICU was incredibly rewarding and really shaped me as a nurse. Read more>>
Shuntavia Gray-Baines 
Growing up, I honestly had no idea what I wanted to be when I got older. After high school, I knew I wanted to go to college, but I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to major in. So, like a lot of people do when they’re trying to figure life out, I picked something and went with it. I chose nursing. Read more>>
Cela Harper 
I have always been musically inclined, but my journey really started when my family and I moved to DFW. When I was 12, my dad found a groupon for voice and guitar lessons for a studio in my hometown, and after I used the groupon I kept going. Read more>>
chris lattanzio 
I’ve always thought of myself simply as an artist. My path hasn’t been particularly linear. I studied economics at Baylor and film at NYU, but I was always drawn to making things—particularly work that deals with form, light, shadow and the way we experience a space. Over the years, that developed into a body of fine art centered largely around low-relief sculpture. Read more>>
Rikki Rincon
I began this journey the film industry at a young age of 13 when I auditioned and won a principle acting role in the Universal Film ‘The Island’ with Michael Caine and others. From there my passion for the arts grew towards radio broadcasting, media relations and public relations. Read more>>
Mackenzie Snipes 
My true passion for photography started when I was a young girl. My grandfather always had a camera in his hand whenever we visited him, and my dad was the same way. Annual family photos, important milestones, vacations, everyday moments—it was all captured. Needless to say, there are countless photos and videos of my siblings and me growing up. Read more>>
Jacob Vaughn
I’m Jacob Vaughn, a musician and journalist based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. I’ve been a musician for most of my life. I was raised by musicians and music enthusiasts. Up until sixth grade I really wanted to be a singer. Read more>>
Toyia Newton 
I’ve always had a love for fashion and beauty. I started wearing wigs from different vendors around 2015, but at the time, I never imagined that I would eventually be selling hair or owning my own store. In 2017, I decided to take a chance and started selling lashes and wigs straight out of the trunk of my car. Read more>>
Kearra Porter 
My story started with wanting to make my family proud and build a legacy of my own. Coming from a family of college graduates and professionals, I initially imagined a future in medicine. Hair became part of my life through caring for my own natural hair—I was tender-headed and tired of having my mom do it! Read more>>
Mary Borman
Mary’s love for the water began when she was 4 years old. From there, she took swimming lessons all summer sessions for two years at the neighborhood pool when she was 7 years old. She learned all the strokes and began competing at the state level at the Special Olympics games in Arkansas. when she was 8 years old. Read more>>
Tiera Aighewi 
I’ve spent most of my career in hospitality, particularly specialty coffee, catering and food service, so I didn’t come into entrepreneurship because I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to be a founder. I came into it through the work. I started Black by Demand in 2021 as a specialty coffee company. Read more>>
Isela Mariana 
My love for photography started when I was just 14 years old. I took a photography class in junior high, and although I eventually went on to pursue a degree in nursing, photography always remained a part of my life. I found myself naturally documenting the milestones, little moments, and memories of both my own life and the lives of the people around me. Read more>>
Roneshia Brown 
Well my story is actually still being written . I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 5 years . 1 of my first side hustles was selling lipstick , a year later I started a cleaning business and gained a A+ rating with the BBB 2-3 years later I started doing makeup . Read more>>
Brooke Whittaker DNP, RN NC-BC 
Over my 20-year nursing career, I have loved the bedside. I began travel nursing early because I thrived on challenge and learning, a value instilled by my grandmother, who taught me that while life may take many things from you, no one can take away your education. Read more>>
Maria Sanchez 
If you had told me years ago that cakes would become such an important part of my life, I probably would have laughed. I’m an architect from Venezuela, and my career has always been centered around design and creativity, but I never imagined that I would find another creative outlet through cake. Everything started when I had my first child, my son Maximiliano. Read more>>
Brittney Watson 
I’ve been sewing since middle school, and what started as something I simply loved doing eventually grew into my business, All Things Brittney. I started creating custom children’s clothing and over the years expanded into custom garments, costumes, sewing patterns, and other creative projects. Read more>>
Yung Rip 
I’m a music artist originally from Jackson,Mississippi, I now currently reside in Dallas,TX. I started out writing music at the age of 8 and perfected my craft over the years. Read more>>
Will Bove
My story has always been connected to movement, although my relationship with it has changed over the years. I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and spent seven years as a professional dancer. At one point, I had dedicated my life to dance, but chronic injuries complicated my relationship with something I loved. Strength training became a turning point. Read more>>
Zim Beasley 
My love for fragrance really started with my dad. He always smelled good, and growing up, I wanted to smell good like him. He helped me start my own fragrance collection, and as I got older, my interest evolved. I eventually reached a point where I didn’t just want to smell good — I wanted to smell different. Read more>>
Juan Carlos Gomez Jr. 
My journey really began in 2017 when I founded Estrategia Norteña. What started as a passion for making music eventually grew into something much bigger than I could have imagined. A huge part of our story has been trial and error. Estrategia Norteña didn’t become what it is today overnight. Read more>>
Karen Bacik 
I’m a Colombian visual artist who moved to the U.S. eight years ago. My career began in Bogotá, Colombia, where I studied Cinema and Television and started shooting and editing documentaries, films, music videos, and commercials. After moving to the U.S., I started exploring different forms of art and creative expression, but tufting quickly became the one I felt most passionate about. Read more>>
Melissa Gibbs Stacy Slater 
We’re Stacy and Melissa—the two blondes behind 2 Blondes Salsa! Our story started more than 17 years ago when we met while working together at our corporate job. Our friendship grew into a partnership, and one of the best parts of our story began with an amazing salsa recipe. Read more>>
Scott Saldinger 
Some might say I’ve had a pretty unconventional path. I started out behind a camera. I studied film and animation at Rochester Institute of Technology and went into television as a news videographer and photojournalist. From there, I ended up working in media with companies like Fox, Clear Channel, Comcast and NBCUniversal. Read more>>
Lashae Hawkins 
The vision for Purpose Of Life Homecare began in 2021. I knew I wanted to build something meaningful—something that would allow me to serve others while creating a company centered around compassion, dignity, and purpose. However, life took an unexpected turn, and I had to put that vision on hold. The dream never went away. Read more>>
savannah miller 
Bronzed By Sav started from a simple love for spray tanning and a desire to create something of my own. I’ve always loved the confidence that comes with having a beautiful, natural-looking glow, but I noticed that spray tanning could often feel very transactional. I wanted to create an experience that felt more personal, comfortable, and luxurious. Read more>>
Tee’ira Griffin
. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. I’ve seen so much I probably shouldn’t have, but one thing that stuck with me heavily was my mother creating hard spritz Swiss rolls in the living room. I watched her for years in amazement until one day I decided to pick up the comb for myself. Read more>>
Lina Rosas 
The Story Behind NUDO After years of experience in Interior Design, Architecture, and international projects, had the opportunity to attend various Design fairs around the world as Orgatec, Neocon, Coverings, Cersai I discovered a passion for textiles and wall tapestries that soon evolved into something more than a hobby. Read more>>
Frenchie Tyson 
My journey as a creator started long before I knew I even wanted to be one. I did experience some time in formal education of the arts and design. However, life has redirected me in a self discovery, self taught, networking approach. My actual creative career started, after I left The Art Institutes Interior Design program. Read more>>
Sumayya Iqbal
If you had told me a couple of years ago that my love for experimenting in the kitchen would grow into a community of more than 8,000 people, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I’m Sumayya, the person behind Chaiyourbestt, a food and lifestyle page where I share recipes, baking experiments, restaurant discoveries, and everyday life around Dallas. Read more>>
Ciro Marques
My story started in a very humble way. I grew up in a poor family, and my parents never had much financially. We were basically surviving, so from a very young age I understood that if I wanted to build something different for my life, I would have to work for it. Read more>>
Ona Miller 
My story has never been a straight line. It has been a journey of education, faith, service, leadership, loss, reinvention, and an ever-deepening understanding of purpose. I am an educator, professor, global leadership advocate, nonprofit founder, entrepreneur, and woman who has learned that sometimes our greatest assignments emerge from the seasons we never would have chosen for ourselves. Read more>>
Narwhals & Waterfalls 
Paige and I (Adrien) met back in 2018 in Dallas, Texas. Our spouses knew each other, that we were both kids music teachers, and that we’d probably get along. Our very first time meeting, she shared a song she was working on to fill a gap in her curriculum. That became our first collaboration: ‘I Can Do Hard Things’. Read more>>
Dominick Andrew 
My story started searching for purpose in this world. I’ve always been drawn to the process of creating something from nothing—taking an idea that only exists in your mind and turning it into something physical, meaningful, and eventually profitable. Over time, that process became more than something I enjoyed; it became a passion. Read more>>
Brodrick Archie
Any Event Productions began in 2003 with a passion for music, events, and creating memorable experiences. What started with DJ services gradually grew as our clients began asking us to provide more of the technical production behind their events. Over the years, we continued investing in professional equipment, education, and most importantly, our team. Read more>>
Matthew De La Rocha 
My passion for art started at a young age. I was heavily inspired by fantasy worlds and the vibrant imagery of 90s movies, TV shows, tattoos and band art. I was drawn to things that took a step out of reality as opposed to accurate renderings of things and places within the world. Read more>>
Ruby Iqbal 
My journey began with a passion for skincare, beauty, and helping people feel confident in their own skin. With over 20 years of experience as an esthetician, I started my career in New York and eventually brought my experience and passion to Texas. Read more>>
Camryn Sanchez 
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been taking pictures. One of my favorite things, both as a kid and even now, is looking through old family albums. There’s something about documenting moments—as cheesy as that may sound—that I’ve always loved and cherished. Read more>>
