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.
Mazzy Ardigo
Verdant Holistics began from our own personal journey. My partner Hunter and I have always shared a connection through creativity, wellness, nature, and conscious living. Over time we realized many of the products we used every day didn’t align with the lifestyle or values we believed in. Read more>>
Sally Iwanski
In 2006, two friends, my husband Gil and I decided to bring our miniature horses boarded in Lockhart to Austin and start our own miniature horse therapy organization. We were all helping a similar non-profit in Lockhart, but she did her visits on weekdays, and I worked full time. I was helping her with her website, email, fundraising, volunteers, sounding board. Read more>>
Ashley Blackburn and Jenna Cormany
My business partner Jenna Cormany and I met in 2022, and have been fast friends ever since. Although being in different life stages, her being a mother of two that have already flown the nest, and me being a recent college graduate at the time, we always shared a similar vision. We had the same tastes in life, the same dreams. Read more>>
Mrugesha Gurjar
My journey as a baker began in 2013 while pursuing my Master’s degree in Engineering. What started as a way to relax after classes soon became a passion. I found joy in creating desserts and sharing them with family and friends, and their encouragement gave me the confidence to dream bigger. Read more>>
Tommy & Becky White
We are Tommy and Becky White. We have been married for 27 years and have two daughters, Amber(21), Jaden(18), and our beloved mini schnauzer, Harley. We are a family who loves travel and have visited amazing locations all around the world as well as the in the U.S. Read more>>
David Garcia
I’ve been a performing musician for over 30 years now. Started playing at 16, performing at 18, making money at it at 19, and now I’m 50 and things are better than ever. Read more>>
Sandra OHara
I grew up in Normangee, Texas, on my grandfather’s farm. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for art in all its forms, and there has always been music playing somewhere in the background. Alongside those passions, I also dreamed of serving in the military. Throughout my childhood, my cousins had a band called Parker Heights. Read more>>
Kayla Jones
I was a student at Texas State University when I went home for the summer and worked at a tanning salon in my hometown, The Woodlands, Texas. When I came back to school, I realized this was the perfect side hustle and started spray tanning during my sophomore year. Read more>>
Anna Davis
I previously lived in Los Angeles and have over 15 years of experience in the massage and wellness industry. Throughout my career, I successfully owned and operated three massage spas in Los Angeles. When I decided to relocate to Texas, I had the opportunity to meet my business partners, who invited me to establish a spa here in Georgetown. Read more>>
Ev Gillespie
About six years ago, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave my corporate career in marketing and branding to pursue something that felt more personal and creative. Read more>>
Zandra Ross
I was born at Lackland AFB on May 1, 1979. My mothet and father were both born and raised in San Antonio and much od my family still resides there today. I lost my mom in 2013, right after I preached my first sermon, but still have her mother as one of my biggest cheerleaders. Read more>>
Natalie Simpson
I’ve always been drawn to the way thoughtful design can transform how people live and experience their homes. I earned my undergraduate degree in Interior Design from San Francisco State University and began my career working for several large design firms, where I gained experience across a wide range of project types and learned the importance of balancing creativity with functionality. Read more>>
Theadore Dicus
I was born in Los Angeles but raised with strong Texas roots after my family relocated to Houston in my pre-teens. Thanks to Grandpa Andy, my mother Diane and caring mentors, such as Gordon Whitworth, Ron Peat and Patrick Laurini, I learned the value of hard work, resilience and creating opportunities for yourself. Read more>>
Hailey Marquez
Photography started as a creative outlet for me, but over time it became so much more than that. What began with simply picking up a camera and capturing moments for my sister and family slowly grew into a passion for storytelling and preserving genuine emotion. Read more>>
Sabrina Mooroogen
I grew up between cultures, with roots in the UK and Mauritian Creole heritage, and I think that shaped the way I move through the world more than anything else. I’ve always been interested in the ways people make meaning, carry history, and search for belonging. Before I fully understood it intellectually, I felt it emotionally through art, storytelling, museums, travel, and education. Read more>>
Blake York
Blake York, founder and owner of Bobcat Movers, began working for his dad’s moving company when he was only 10 years old. By age 17 he was trusted to drive a 27-foot moving truck and supervise a 4-man team. He worked for his dad’s moving company until he graduated from high school and enrolled in Texas State University.. Read more>>
Jake Margis
My mom taught me how to bake when I was around 3 years old, and I grew up in a household where there were always homemade desserts around. Baking was something tied to family, creativity, and bringing people together from a very early age. Over time, it naturally became one of the ways I expressed creativity myself. Read more>>
Nikki Lovell
I have been a nurse for 18 years and a nurse practitioner for 9 of those years. During the pandemic due to healthcare worker fatigue I decided I would like to do something a little more creative that I could design and curate myself. Read more>>
Ty’Nitra Antwine
I’m a multitalented artist from Beaumont, Texas and the oldest of seven kids, so creativity and responsibility were both introduced to me early. Over the years I’ve used music, fashion, and visual art as outlets for storytelling, healing, and connection. My journey has been about learning how to turn personal experiences into meaningful creative work. Read more>>
Kyle Barfuss
Hi, my name is Kyle Barfuss. I started Service Ranker in 2019 after spending 10 years in the United States Marine Corps and another five years building and marketing automated software products of my own. Those experiences shaped a lot of how I approach business today. Read more>>
Katie Chance
I’ve been drawn to art for as long as I can remember, and over time it gradually evolved from something personal into a full creative career. A creative path never really felt like just an option for me, but the only option. Read more>>
Amir Hajimaleki
I was born in Iran during the war between Iran and Iraq, lived in Iran until I was 9 before moving to the US. I grew up in Austin and a brief stay in Denver. I think the challenges I went through as a young kid from the war to adapting to a new country really shaped me for where I am today. Read more>>
Cameron Shoppach
After almost a decade in the hospital, I just simply couldn’t work in human medicine anymore. With my wife’s support, I decided to pursue something. I’ve always been passionate about: shelter dogs. I got a job that flew me to a facility in Florida that specialized in only working behavior shelter dogs. Read more>>
Aaron Rochlen (Under The Rock)
This story seems to be mainly about the concept I’ve created, soon to be a PBS TV show called Under The Rock. ‘Under The Rock’ is a PBS live music and conversation series pairing performances with dialogue relevant to lyrics, artist experiences, and mental health. The concept started in an interesting way as I never really had a ‘plan’ for this whole thing. Read more>>
Rakhi Mutreja
The Spinning Wheel was created with the vision of building a warm, welcoming, and creative space where people of all ages could come together to explore art, learn new skills, and experience the joy of creating with their hands. Read more>>
Gracy McGuigan
I’m originally from Houston, Texas, and looking back, Pup Confections feels like the natural result of everything I’ve loved my entire life: dogs, baking, and design. I grew up in a creative household with a mom who was a bilingual educator and a dad who was a mechanical engineer, so I was always surrounded by both imagination and problem-solving. Read more>>
Sheela Rodrigues
My story is one of those that only makes complete sense in hindsight. I started with the credential — MBA in Advertising and Marketing — and moved straight into the corporate world. I spent years in Learning and Development, working as a soft skills trainer and eventually as an AP Head for L&D with organisations including Tesco, CSC, RBS, and McAfee. Read more>>
Reese Boudreau
I started my small business in 2022 at the age of 14! My business started with the passion of business, and creating community. Over the years, I’ve grown a community around me that I absolutely love, as well as I’ve corrected my products into being the best quality they can possibly be! Offering my customers dishwasher safe, girly glassware! Read more>>
Brittany Stinson
We are a husband and wife duo who had been looking to open a bar in Austin, however everything in life kept pushing us towards Smithville. My mother’s family is from there and we’d had our eye on the old Charlie’s bar for years. Read more>>
Amber Olson
I began working in the field of ABA right after college, originally planning to pursue a different career path. Within just a few months, I fell in love with supporting neurodivergent children and teens and knew I wanted to continue growing in the field, leading me to pursue my M.Ed. Read more>>
Lindsey Allen
I never set out to start a glitter business. My background is actually in education. I earned my Master’s degree and spent years working as a teacher before realizing I wanted to build something of my own. Read more>>
Luya Moreno
Ever since I was a kid, I loved Art and Music. I took as many art classes as I could and sang to myself… But I never truly believed in myself, not until college where I then went through a transformational mental-health journey. I needed to survive being a student, so I joined student radio and started taking creative classes as well, I loved it. Read more>>
Chloe May
When I was a kid, I was naturally observant and curious. I paid attention to everything around me like a little detective, especially the environments I was in. I’d walk into a space and immediately feel something, and I’d wonder why. Why did some make me feel comfortable or inspired while others left me feeling stiff or out of place? Read more>>
Bailey Connelly
Connelly Martin was founded by myself and my business partner, Lily Martin, after years of working in and around the contemporary art world and realizing we shared a very similar vision for what a gallery could be. Read more>>
Becca Matimba
Hi yes, I’m Becca Matimba a storyteller, photographer and actor. I’m 1st generation African American, where both my parents originate from Zimbabwe and my dad moved to the states in the 70s as an immigrant turned citizen and after he married my mom and came along and became a citizen in the late 80s. I’ve always had a heart and eye for creativity and performing. Read more>>
UWE WENDEL
I started going to the farmers market at pandemic times. Like all of us I lost my job and asking myself what now. I took it as a sign and started making the bars to sell at markets. I started making the bars in 2013 for myself and family first. Read more>>
Florence Guiraud
With a background in art and architecture, I’ve always been drawn to creating with my hands. Much of my early career centered around thinking through complex three-dimensional problems using physical models and materials as tools for expression and communication. My first introduction to ceramics happened while growing up in South Korea in the 1990s, where my family lived because of my father’s work. Read more>>
Ana Karina Perez
Hello everybody, My name is Ana Karina and I am the proud owner of Dream Events by Karina! We are an event planning and decorating business located in central Austin and proudly extending our services to neighboring county’s and cities. My business journey began in 2020 following my choice to quit my job once reaching 40 years old. Read more>>
Christian Alquiza
I’ve been cooking professionally for over 17 years, but food has always been a huge part of my life growing up Filipino-American. I started working my way through kitchens, learning every station I could, and eventually grew into culinary leadership, product development, media, and where I am now with content creation. Read more>>
Victor Guardiola
My story with Bawi started at UT Austin. I was working in growth and marketing for a local CPG startup when I realized the Hispanic beverage category had massive, untapped mass market potential. The nostalgic drinks I grew up with did little to prioritize clean ingredients, and the industry had confined Hispanic CPG strictly to chips, salsas, and tortillas. Read more>>
Auriel Farley
Born in Brooklyn, but raised from Newburgh, NY, the 845. I am a Content Creator, Twitch Streamer, Reactor, and Media personality primarily known for commentary and fighting game community (FGC) content. I am normally known for wearing blue hair, which was accidental at first. The blue hair became the recognizable staple for my online presence, so I kept it. Read more>>
Holly Hart Raiborn
I became the Artistic Director of Fallout Theater in early 2024. I first stepped foot in Fallout before I ever started performing comedy– as a plus one of a plus one for a summer party they threw back in 2018. I absolutely fell in love with the space and the community that night and knew it was a place I wanted to be. Read more>>
Jayne Halcomb
I began teaching swim lessons as a teenager while competing for the YMCA swim team and working as a lifeguard. After earning my swim lesson certification, I spent my summers teaching, swimming, and lifeguarding alongside close friends at the pool. It was an experience I genuinely loved and one that sparked my passion for teaching and mentoring others. Read more>>
Taichi Ishizuki
About Pebble Onebird Pebble Onebird was born from one simple idea: A truly great restaurant should exist naturally within the everyday life of a neighborhood. Read more>>
Natalie Resendez
I started my Photo Booth rental business, Hi-Rez Solutions, in August of 2024. Since beginning, I’ve been blessed to do additional projects outside of photo booth rentals such as: passport photos, headshots, photography and videography for weddings, drone footage and website design for small business owners. Today, I still do Photo Booth rentals for events and design websites for businesses across the country. Read more>>
Amanda Lee Jones
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. In my twenties I pursued classical drawing and painting classes at a local atelier. I was offered a job teaching there and eventually built a career both as a working artist and as an educator teaching observational drawing and painting to children and teens. Read more>>
Myranda Rovello
I started making treats and cakes in 2016 it all started when I lived in Germany and I was trying to integrate my dog with two other dogs that were not very friendly however they were very food motivated. Read more>>
