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.
Jill Fountain
I started working in coffee in Colorado in 2006 as a barista and lead trainer. I’ve always been mechanically minded. As a kid I would take things apart and figure out how they worked, and by the time I was a teenager I started working on my own truck. So, I naturally found myself fixing equipment in the shop. Read more>>
Stephani Sullivan
I feel like most transformations I hear about started during Covid, and mine is no different. In 2019, 6 months after my boyfriend moved to the Netherlands and 2 weeks before the pandemic, I joined my first yoga teacher training. For the first time in my life, I had the space to think and new questions to ask. Read more>>
Ericka Tisdale
I am a photographer, currently as a side passion that I hope to take full time in the next year. I owe my gifts and talents to God. I believe he gave me the talent and the desire to photograph special moments in people’s lives and document important milestones. My photography journey is directly correlated with my personal journey of loss and faith. Read more>>
Merideth Olson
Hiii! I started Merideth Olson Photography in 2019 when a friend at the University of South Carolina asked me to take her graduation photos. At the time, I was studying broadcast journalism with the full intention of becoming a news anchor. I took those grad photos for fun, posted them, and somehow it completely snowballed from there. Read more>>
Perrin Kileen
In 2010 my parents decided to move from Milwaukee, WI to Colorado in pursuit of a business opportunity. I was going into 6th grade that year and my mom wanted to homeschool me and my two younger brothers for this new chapter. I’d finish my work around lunch every day and was free for the remainder. Read more>>
Raven “Rayee” Nance
My career has always been rooted in one thing: helping people feel good about themselves. I actually began my professional journey in healthcare, where I learned the importance of caring for people, listening to them, and making them feel seen. Eventually, I realized I wanted to help people in a different way, and that led me to pursue my career in esthetics. Read more>>
Cindy Tobar
My love for art started at a young age. I had an amazing elementary school art teacher who inspired me and made me believe that one day I could become an art instructor myself. Read more>>
Curnedra Williams
Beauty has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to work in the beauty industry I grew up in it. Being surrounded by beauty and entrepreneurship allowed me to see early that this industry was about so much more than making someone look good. It was creativity, confidence, community, and business. Read more>>
Teena Hamner
Roughly 15 years ago I was introduced to Reiki. At the time I was working in Victim Services. I wanted to figure out how I could incorporate Reiki into my line of work. Read more>>
Gabriel Prusmack
Started spray painting at 15 in Venice beach and brought that hype back to Galveston and ran rampade with vandalism for years until I got caught and ratted out. Read more>>
Grace Farris
I am an internal medicine doctor who works mostly in the hospital with medical trainees (residents and students). In 2018, while I was living and working in Manhattan and raising two little boys, I started sharing motherhood comics on Instagram every evening. I had written a comic strip in my college newspaper, but never in a million years did I expect to return to comics. Read more>>
Yvonne Vaiz
Corpus Christi Texas 2006… Started off by just having this random thought about what it would be like to actually be able to work for myself. I was working at a haircut place at the time and decided I wanted to do so much more than just that. Read more>>
Max Ruthven
I moved to the United States from South Africa in January 2001 after being recruited as a nurse for a two-year contract in Los Angeles. Although I could speak English, it was not my native language, and aside from studying English itself, I had never studied any subject in English. Los Angeles felt enormous and intimidating at first, but it became an incredible experience. Read more>>
Jennifer Davis
My story is a bit of a full-circle journey—and, like most good stories, it didn’t go exactly as planned. I was born in Harlingen, Texas, but grew up in Austin, so I’ve always considered Austin home. More than 25 years ago, I started my career here as a graphic designer. But getting there wasn’t exactly a straight line. Read more>>
Jasmin Todd
People often walk into an Austin Curls location expecting a certain kind of ‘prestige.’ They see the aesthetic—the curated, precise environment—and they immediately start building a narrative in their heads. They assume there was a silver spoon, a fancy business degree, or some secret shortcut that paved the way to this success. Read more>>
Sunil Kumar
I started Bourbon & Whisky with a simple idea: to make finding and gifting quality bourbon, whiskey, and other spirits easier and more convenient for customers across the US. As the business grew, we focused on building trust through a carefully selected collection, personalized gifting options, reliable delivery, and a smooth customer experience for both personal and corporate occasions. Read more>>
Dr. Adrienne Aldaco
Sunglow Coaching has always been within me. I found it by realizing purpose and passion. It’s an exhilarating feeling. It’s the feeling of the sun glowing from within. I couldn’t contain it anymore. The perfect time came in the summer of 2023. I decided not to sit on the gift of Sunglow Coaching and made the choice to share it with the world. Read more>>
Stacie Nicole Haynes
My story really began with a search for God and a desire to understand who I was. I was raised Christian and, throughout my life, explored several different expressions of Christianity. I always had a deep love for God, but I also had questions. Read more>>
Alexis Hester
I started my vlog and TikTok with the initial intention of sharing food and drinks I enjoyed with others. My friend, Sarah, actually encouraged me to start and she’s somebody who has done a fantastic job of building and adapting her style. Read more>>
Jo Foster
My comedy journey began almost exactly 3 years ago–on my 27th birthday, I took a free ‘intro to improv’ class at Fallout Theater in downtown Austin. About 5 minutes in, I knew I wanted to dive deep into the world comedy. Read more>>
Ingrid Caribay Valero Rivero
Living in Austin, Texas, is without a doubt one of the most defining chapters of my story, and that is right where I want to start. Read more>>
Mandi Morin
Southern Touch was a dream for over 20 years. Upon completion of high school i attended culinary school but unfortunately has to drop out due to financial issues. Working in restraunts and hotels became my everyday life until 2022 when I finally got the push from my husband. Mark Morin. Read more>>
Holden Fulco
Holden Fulco is Owner/Pitmaster of Parish Barbecue in Austin, TX. Holden was born and raised in Shreveport, LA and spent his childhood immersed in the culture and food of Louisiana. Fish fries and crawfish boils were a weekly occurrence, and good times with family always revolved around a great meal. Read more>>
Skye Thompson
I always joke that I’ve been a singer since I was born…and according to my cousins, that’s not much of an exaggeration. They still tell stories about little me, barely out of diapers, making them sit down and be my audience while I sang into a vacuum cleaner like it was a microphone. Performing has quite literally always been a part of who I am. Read more>>
Rachel Madison
I’ve always believed that local journalism matters, but I don’t think I ever imagined I would one day own the newspaper in the community where I was raising my family. My path here wasn’t exactly a straight line. I’ve always loved writing, storytelling and being involved in my community, and over the years that eventually led me to The Liberty Hill Independent. Read more>>
Ahmed Lutfi
My story really started at university, where studying Supply Chain Management completely changed the way I looked at business. My university environment encouraged entrepreneurship, and through studying supply chain I started to realize that I was sitting in what I like to think of as the “kitchen of the business” where decisions around demand, purchasing, inventory, production, logistics, and suppliers actually come together. Read more>>
Blake Martin
I have always been very curious and obsessed with things that I love. In middle school, I tried bowling and by the time I graduated high school I was one of the top ten bowlers in the country and a two-time All-American. That taught me how to learn something at a high level quickly and how to win. Read more>>
Audelio (Sonny) Rivera
Our story began in 1997, when we purchased our little piece of Texas land and began building a life rooted in family, hard work, and the outdoors. In 2007, we planted our first grapevines and olive trees, never imagining just how much those vines would shape the years ahead. What began as a passion slowly grew into Red Rock Vineyards. Read more>>
Bryan Villalobos
My journey to The Villa wasn’t necessarily defined by one major milestone, but more by a desire to build something meaningful in a community that had given me a place to call home. I’m originally from Katy, Texas, and spent several years in Central Texas before officially making Temple home in 2020. Read more>>
Shane McCormick
I’ve been a professional photographer for almost eighteen years. I paid rent in college shooting graduation portraits at the University of North Texas, but I’d been taking pictures long before that. My grandfather put an Olympus 35mm in my hands when I was six, just to play with. Read more>>
Natasha Versace
I was a sever at Texas Roadhouse in Laredo, TX that’s where I met my drag mother Vera Versace. We would smoke and hang out in her garage and that’s where I would get my first set of hip pads and ever since I’ve been doing drag consistently I’m little over 2 years into drag. Read more>>
Sariel Brummer and Adar Nadler Sariel Brummer and Adar Nadler
We are two sisters and former lawyers from Israel. When Sariel first moved to the U.S., language barriers and licensing restrictions meant she couldn’t practice law. Seeking purpose and connection in a new country, she turned to the comfort of our family’s traditions and began baking our grandmother’s babka recipes from scratch. Read more>>
Riley Gaertner
Brave Bar is a classic “scratch my own itch” venture. At the University of Colorado Boulder I got into health, wellness, and nutrition and became frustrated with the ridiculous ingredients in our food, especially in protein bars. Read more>>
Dante Nguyen
My love for music curation started with burning mixtapes and making playlists for friends back in high school. This led to me starting my official DJ journey in 2018. I used to go to open decks nights religiously (open decks is like open mic for DJs). These nights were hosted at former Austin bars like Scratch House and Plush. Read more>>
Daniel Temnik
I was born into a family of musicians, so music was really part of my life from the very beginning. My father was a decorated conductor, and my mother is a pianist. In some ways, becoming a musician felt almost inevitable…as though it was something I had been chosen to do, or perhaps something that had chosen me! Read more>>
Gabbi Lindgren
I started with Brewery Running Series as a participant in Minnesota, where the original series was founded. I was new to running and loved the no-pressure environment that was accessible for all levels and the craft beer at the end of the run was a perfect reward. Read more>>
Francesca Lubega
I fell in love with photography when I was 16, I used to always get my friends to come over and shoot concepts on my phone at the time and edit on Picsart. I got my first camera when I was 17, and since then I’ve been shooting. Read more>>
Ivy Roots
I started performing and making music as an outlet. I studied music production and voice in college. As I developed my skills I noticed how uplifting and healing it was for people to see my journey, hear my songs, or seeing me perform at a concert for the first time. I became a muse and people could see themselves through me. Read more>>
