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.
Rocky Sahoo 
I wasn’t the best at expressing myself through words, so I started my creative journey as a drawer. I went from doodling obsessively underneath my desk in class when I was little, to sharing my artwork in local exhibitions when i was 15, and starting an art commission business in my senior year of high school. Read more>>
Chris Rios 
I started Vegan Nom in Austin in 2012 with what seemed as a pretty simple idea: make vegan food that was exciting, approachable, and something everyone would want to eat, not just vegans. What began as a small food trailer grew organically through a lot of hard work, trial and error, and support from the Austin community. Read more>>
Christian Young
*For Jacksonville native Christian, the journey toward entrepreneurship began long before she ever imagined launching a company. Her earliest jobs in childcare weren’t just a way to earn a paycheck; they were where she learned how to lead with empathy, communicate with intention, and carry responsibility with grace. Read more>>
Lauren Leo 
It all started in high school when I was introduced to photography, where I started in front of the camera and had a blast creating full photoshoot concepts just to capture the newest eye shadow palette I bought. Read more>>
Lindsay Field 
I have always been fascinated with glass and when I was a kid I was interested in glassblowing. For as long as I can remember I was always doing art and even from an early age I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Eventually all of the pieces aligned and I found glass bead making on a torch and was hooked! Read more>>
Brittany Jernigan 
Back in 2013 I was living in Austin when a friend of mine came across Slackerville on S. 1st Street, an enclave of quirky businesses, art studios, and tiny homes first established in 1979. I had just started playing around with jewelry and she was upcycling clothing. Read more>>
Carlos Canseco 
I grew up in Laredo, Texas, and music found me early – listening to bobby brown and criss cross on cassette at 4 years old. Film scores—John Williams especially—could completely wreck me emotionally before I even understood why. Then I started watching my older brother’s garage band rehearse, and I knew I wanted to be part of it. Read more>>
Rhett Brennan 
I got started pretty simply. I loved making videos, picked up a camera, and started saying yes to just about anything that gave me an opportunity to create. What started as small projects eventually became Iconic Media Studios, the production company I built here in Austin. Read more>>
Ethan Dunacusky-Cruz 
For me, it all started before I realized it did. Growing up, I was heavily involved in sports. I was extremely competitive, but when I realized I probably wasn’t going to make it to the NBA, my goal became to work in sports media, ideally as an analyst on ESPN. Read more>>
Nicole Atkins 
I started working the front desk for my in laws at their hair salon. I decided to go to cosmetology school to pursue a career in hair. I soon realized I had no passion in hair, but I did have a passion for the industry I just needed to find my place. Read more>>
Donta Taylor 
I used to play pro basketball overseas.(6 yrs) And I ended up tearing my Mcl and Acl. Once that happened I know basketball was over and I had to figure out what was next for me. Read more>>
Colette Belloni 
My journey started in a place of forced visibility. I grew up navigating childhood trauma, and because my Mother’s trial was broadcast on the news and in the newspapers, I had nowhere to hide. As a child, dealing with onlookers’ pity and disgust was incredibly difficult, but it ultimately shaped my philosophy of life: I refused to hide my history. Read more>>
Miguel Jimenez 
My story starts with my birth, obviously. The place of my birth is El Paso Texas. My parents were of mixed heritage. They met in Mexico and moved to Texas. I went to all of school in El Paso. Except for one year. My mother worked at a local Levi Strauss factory, and her job was difficult. Read more>>
Laura Day 
I originally moved to Austin with the intention of moving to LA once I graduated UT’s screenwriting MFA program, and who knows what the future may hold, but it sure would be difficult to leave now. I’m so in love with this city. Read more>>
Vivian Ho 
Growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant and the only English speaker in my family, I became the person who read forms, made calls, and figured things out. I learned early that help being available doesn’t mean a family can actually reach it. Somewhere in there, I also started losing touch with my own culture. Read more>>
Kyle Stallings 
Pitmaster and Owner Kyle Stallings doesn’t recall his first taste of BBQ. Born in ‘deep East’ Tyler TX, you’ll find barbecue is one of the major food groups. As a 6th generation Texan, Kyle comes from a long line of women that never compromised on taste nor quality. Read more>>
Fernande Holiday 
My story has always been shaped by different cultures, experiences, and a desire to keep growing. I was born in Côte d’Ivoire, spent an important part of my life in France, and later moved to the United States. France had a significant influence on who I became, from my appreciation for culture and design to the way I approach relationships and experiences. Read more>>
Lucy Rendler-Kaplan
It’s funny how I started my company – I was working in-h0use at a brand, and Pepsi came in to buy the brand. Read more>>
Katja Ramirez 
Having started in Montreal circa 1997 after buying my first machine off tattoo legend Tony D’Anessa, who along with Dave Cummings ,was highly influential in sparking my passion for tattooing. I moved to Toronto and worked with Scott McEwan, and then Bill Baker who both fueled a growing admiration for Japanese tattoos. Read more>>
Marshall Saleman 
I grew up in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley and eventually made my way to Austin, Texas, following the Northridge earthquake. My path to becoming an author was not a traditional one. I served in the U.S. Army with the 498th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), a Black Hawk medevac unit based at Fort Benning, Georgia. Read more>>
Frank DeLeon 
I grew up on the West Side of San Antonio. The neighborhood was extremely poor economically but priceless culturally. My neighbors throughout the Barrio were musicians so hearing an accordion, guitar, drums, or a trumpet at any hour of the day or night was the norm. The house I grew up in was formally my great grandfather’s Guadalupe Music Company guitar making workshop. Read more>>
alex coronado
I have been making art my entire life in various ways with different mediums. I have always loved making things with my own two hands. I first began dabbling in jewelry making in 2018 when I lived in Philadelphia. When I first started out I would make jewelry with crystals and wire and then started making polymer clay jewelry. Read more>>
Marci Winters 
As a child, looking up at the night sky and seeing its wonder, the stars seemed to speak to me. I found a comfort in the mysterious dark space. As a teenager, I found a book in the library on astrology and could not put it down. The messages seemed to resonate, perhaps I had known before in a past incarnation. Read more>>
Santiago Torres 
My passion for music started at a very young age. My mom always tells me that even when I cried or screamed as a baby, somehow I would do it in pitch. She took that as a sign pretty early on, and by the time I was four, she had enrolled me in piano and singing lessons. Read more>>
Danielle Geraci 
I was raised by my mom in Marquette Michigan hiking and kayaking and biking, and when I graduated college in 2015 and moved to traverse city to work as a surgical technologist in the operating room assisting surgeons. Read more>>
Mike Middleton 
I was a touring and recording drummer who moved from DC in 1987. Working with various artists professionally until about 2020. I still played for fun, but after my thirty year friend and bandmate Mojo Nixon died in 2024, I decided I wanted to record an album with my musical family that I have known and played with for forty plus years. Read more>>
Mandi Nelson 
My story really starts with my great-grandfather. He owned a restaurant supply company in Dallas called WO Food Service, and back then it was a true one-stop shop — you could pick out your tables, your silverware, get a loan, and design your entire restaurant under one roof. Read more>>
Zakaria Chelidze 
I’m originally from Georgia, and photography has been a way for me to observe and document the world around me for many years. I’ve always been drawn to real people, everyday moments, and the stories that can be told without words. My work has naturally developed around documentary, black-and-white, street, cultural, and event photography. Read more>>
Betsy Saliba 
As a young child I loved to create…and it took until having a young child of my own to remember that. She teaches me to be free, to play, not to take everything too seriously and to release control. I am incredibly grateful to be in a season of life where we make art together almost every day. Read more>>
Dylan Rey Flores 
Ever since I was little I always knew I wanted to do hair. I would be playing with my aunts hair, sister, cousins , basically any hair I could get my hands on. Read more>>
Bri Larsen 
My story starts when my mom was working at a coffee shop in Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. I was 4 years old at the time and something about her working the coffee shop must have stuck with me because it was there that I realized I wanted to work in that industry. Read more>>
Liv Skye 
I’ve spent the last 10+ years working behind the scenes helping CPG, wellness, and startup brands grow through branding, social media, digital marketing, content creation, and more. I’ve always had a creative side and photography and storytelling have been a part of what I do for as long as I can remember. Read more>>
Marci Sneen 
The idea for Mahj with Marci really came from an unexpected chapter in my life. During breast cancer treatment, I was looking for something that could help me mentally escape the stress and uncertainty that comes with navigating illness. A friend introduced me to American Mahjong, and what started as a simple hobby quickly became so much more. Read more>>
Jenna Caradonna 
I was a serial bedroom rearranger growing up, which in hindsight was pretty telling! I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I was really into art classes and oil painting, so being an artist was on my radar, but as I got older that creative energy shifted to interiors. Read more>>
Eroll See 
I came to America 20 yrs ago to start a Family. I was pursuing a dream of becoming a comic book artist. When my son was born, we find out he has special needs. I put the dream aside to get a stable job with benefits and health insurance for my son. Read more>>
Ashley Bowling 
I started this boutique, Proper Pieces, in 2018. I was seeking a new creative outlet and I have always loved fashion and dreamed of running my own business. I come from a a family of entrepreneurs. One of my grandfathers owned and ran a farm for many years. Then when I was a child, my dad owned his own painting company. Read more>>
Nina Mosier 
When I stepped away from my career as an internist to focus on my two young children, I never imagined I’d become the co-founder of a nonprofit. Then my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and my professional trajectory took a new path. Read more>>
Tiffany Larson 
My story with flowers started a few decades ago, although I certainly didn’t know at the time that they would become such a lasting part of my life. My first real experience working with flowers came when I was hired as a retail manager for a floral and gift boutique. Before that, I didn’t know much about the industry, but I quickly became fascinated. Read more>>
Cassie Curtin 
After becoming a mother I decided to set my interior design business aside due to the extreme time commitments and focus on being a stay at home mom. 6 months postpartum after my second child was born I found myself in a deepening postpartum depression and knew I needed to make a change to better myself and my family. Read more>>
Polly McCann 
I chose to make my oil painting work very textural so it could be felt and not just seen. I have always approached visual art with the idea that vision is not the only thing we need to experience art. Now I know thousands of artists, but back then, as a student, I was in the smallest major. Read more>>
KK Stern 
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by Asian culture. It started with watching Sailor Moon and Pokémon as a kid, and then grew into a love for Asian food, manga, Hello Kitty, J-Pop, and everything else surrounding the different Asian cultures. I grew up in a small town, so those things weren’t easy to find. Read more>>
Kimri Crawford 
Honestly, The Second String started because I was a sports mom before I was ever a sports store owner. I have two boys who are constantly playing something — football, baseball, soccer, basketball, track — and over the years I saw firsthand just how expensive it can be to keep kids in sports. Read more>>
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>>
