Hidden Gems: Local Businesses & Creatives You Should Know

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.

Nami Kai

From Wisconsin to Orlando: My Journey Into Makeup It started young — cutting my Barbie’s hair, designing little outfits, dreaming up imaginary friends in ultimately just seeing the world in a light of beauty. I was the youngest of four, and we didn’t grow up with much, so I spent a lot of time at home exploring who I was through my own reflection. Read more>>

Valeria Lukyanova

The state I live in today is the result of everything I have experienced throughout my life. First, of course, I gave up unhealthy habits, which brought about profound changes in both my consciousness and my body. But I didn’t stop there. I transitioned first to a vegetarian diet, then to a vegan diet, followed by a raw-food diet, eating smaller amounts, and eventually mono-eating. Read more>>

Neena Manley

I started working in the events industry in 2014. Originally, beginning the journey as a wedding officiant. I earned my wedding officiant certification to wed family members and friends. As time went on, many people around me were starting to get married and requesting me to officiate their union. That is when the idea of turning it into a business came in. Read more>>

Amberism

I grew up with a love for music, singing in school and discovering early on that music was more than just a passion…it was a calling. At 13 years old, I began writing songs, using my experiences and emotions as young girl to create stories through lyrics and melodies. After graduating college, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to fully pursue my music career. Read more>>

Danielle Desiree

For a long time, I knew how to show up. I knew how to be strong. I thought strength meant being the person who could carry everything. I knew how to lead, take care of people, get things done, and keep moving even when life was asking a lot of me. Read more>>

Cameron Tilbury

I started my professional career as an afternoon traffic reporter on a radio station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Not long after doing the traffic reports, I also picked up weekend mornings on the station. I spent two years there before moving to a different radio station in Ajax, Ontario–just east of Toronto. I did weekday evenings there. Read more>>

Elise Allen

Hi, my name is Elise but everybody calls me Lili. I’ve been tattooing for 11 years now I moved here from Atlanta, Georgia. I started my apprenticeship here in Florida and proceeded in my career as a tattoo artist I specialize in neotraditional, Japanese, and blackwork. I have a huge love and a passion for Art in all forms. Read more>>

Pepper Sharpe

I guess it starts growing up as the nerdy weird girl who loved writing science fiction stories and crafting. Read more>>

Philip Messer

I started making fudge around the year 2000, just for family, and just for the holidays. It was only 3 flavors at that time: dark chocolate, dark chocolate marshmallow, and dark chocolate rocky road — the initial dark chocolate recipe was from the inside of a ghirardelli baking bar wrapper and it was as simple as melting ingredients together in a double boiler. Read more>>

Valdemar ‘DJ Chino’ Crame

I was born in the Philippines, moved to Hawaii, and eventually landed in Orlando, Florida. Growing up in Orlando, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who were into all different types of music. I actually started out as a breakdancer, going to parties and watching the local DJs. Read more>>

Lee McCoy

I was born and raised in Mississippi. I joined the military in 1992 and served 24 years until I retired in 2016. During my military careers as a civil engineer, I deployed four times to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and finally Afghanistan in 2012, where I trained Afghan engineers. Read more>>

Amanda Neill

Ohana Wellness Collective had been a pipe dream of mine since I had my first son in 2011. Navigating postpartum, parenthood, marriage, and partnership felt far more isolating and overwhelming than I ever imagined it would. During that season, I found myself dreaming about the “village” of yesteryear; the kind of community where support and camaraderie were simply built into everyday life. Read more>>

Madelein Vera

My journey began in the heart of the pandemic. It started as a simple desire to share: I began posting cooking videos, sharing tips and recipes to show everyone that cooking and baking could be fun, easy, and delicious. My goal was to inspire people to eat well and discover how easy it can be to cook at home. Read more>>

tricia dennis

My story really began 26 years ago when I became the mother of a son with significant special needs. I didn’t know it at the time, but becoming his caregiver would ultimately shape nearly every direction my life would take. Read more>>

Dr Sheila Williams

My story is complex. But simply put, I’m a small town girl who was determined to accomplish her goals. I chose to take the tests and challenges I encountered and turn them into testimonies. I believe that when we’re told ‘no’ its most often a delay but its not necessarily a denial. I am a living testimony that ‘nothing is impossible’! Read more>>

Joshua Walker

I actually got my start pretty young. My parents ran a church and I started helping out by filming and editing services. Around that time, my brother and I would make little skateboarding and basketball videos just for fun using basic tools like Movie Maker. Read more>>

Harry Rios

I grew up in New Orleans on a Naval base with a deep love for music. Music was always playing in the streets and in our house and my father was a musician in the Navy band. Oftentimes the house would be full of music that my mother would be playing. Salsa, merengue, pop tunes and everything in between. Read more>>

Annick Cole

I’ve always been a creative person from a young age. Growing up, I loved painting, taking pictures, creating things, and finding different ways to express myself. I also naturally found myself planning events for my friends and sometimes my family, whether it was a birthday, celebration, or just a special gathering. Over time, those little passions grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Laramie Otto

In 2020 I quit my 9-5 job on a whim with the hopes of building a life I truly wanted to live. I yearned for time and freedom. Read more>>

Branson Grant

My name is Branson Grant since I was young I loved superheroes. It was in 2008 I began to write what would be the outline of my story somewhat based on my life and people I knew. Read more>>

Mary-Kate/MK Smith

I was born and raised in Mississippi, earning both my BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State. With undergrad focused on astronautics, and grad work in mission design, where my thesis was a concept study for exploring the seas of Titan with deployable instrument buoys, DAVID (Deployable And Versatile Instrumented Device) Bouys. Read more>>

Ray Jazikoff

I grew up in a blue-collar town in New Jersey, where wrestling became a huge part of my life from a young age. That work ethic eventually took me to NYU, where I became an NCAA All-American and graduated as the winningest wrestler in program history. After college, I took that background into professional wrestling. Read more>>

Keianna Simon

I have always believed that stories have the power to teach us something about ourselves, whether those stories are shared in a therapy room, discovered between the pages of a book, or collected through the experiences we have along the way. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. Read more>>

Anthony Newett

My father recognized my musical ability when I was very young. He told me that when I was around three years old, he gave me a baritone ukulele, which was tuned like the first four strings of a guitar. As the story goes, I began picking out melodies from television shows my parents watched, including the theme from The Dick Van Dyke Show. Read more>>

Megan Essig

Hi! I have been in the beauty industry since high school dual enrolled since 16 years old. I have lived in multiple places, all in the industry, including California, Utah, New Zealand, but most of my career has been spent here in Central Florida. I have been self-employed for the last 17 years. Read more>>

Amy Harper

My journey into healthcare really began in 2016, during one of the biggest turning points of my life. I had just become a single mom with a seven-year-old and a newborn after leaving a situation involving domestic violence. Read more>>

Jerry Bravo

I grew up in a musical household. I’m the middle sibling of an older and younger brother who grew up to be professional musicians. My musical journey started when I was around 7 years old, I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, with parents of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent. Read more>>

MerryBeth Burgess

we started hello again books in 2020. my wife and i had moved to fl from Atlanta to take care of my mother-in-law who had dementia/Alzheimer’s. being LGBTIQQ it was very hard for us here in fl. we did not feel safe and it was hard to find likeminded people. Read more>>

Dr. Vanessa Milagros, PhD

I am a first-generation Afro-Latina, born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. From an early age, I knew I wanted to build a career centered around helping others, which ultimately led me to become a licensed mental health therapist. As the first and only person in my family to earn a doctoral degree, my journey through higher education was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Read more>>

Jessica and Wayne Heather

Our story really began with a New Year’s Eve application that completely changed our lives. Years ago, I (Jessica) was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a photo of a group of people from around the world who had spent the summer working at a summer camp in America. Read more>>

Kamini Singh

My name is Kamini Singh, the youngest of three sisters, and my journey began with challenges that shaped my purpose long before I understood them. When I was born, I lost oxygen with the cord wrapped around my neck. Read more>>

Christian Robalo

My journey as a graphic designer has been shaped by creativity, adaptability, and a lot of hands-on experience. I’ve always been interested in visual communication and design, but over the years I found my specialty in vehicle graphics, wraps, branding, and large-format design. Read more>>

Nachiely Rosado Andrews

My journey into the travel industry really started with something I already loved doing, traveling, planning trips, and creating experiences for my fam . During a vacation in Cancun My Wife made a joke about how should we start our own travel agency since we already travel so much and it really picked my brain. Read more>>

Rebecca Anderson

My love for the beauty industry began when I was just a little girl growing up in Queens, New York. I was raised by two incredibly hardworking parents, and watching my mom and dad’s work ethic taught me early on the importance of dedication, sacrifice, and never giving up. My mom was a fashionista and a hard worker whom ran a restaurant. Read more>>