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.

Lindsey Ruiz

Opening our salon in 12th South wasn’t without its challenges. We faced an unexpected setback that delayed our launch, forcing us to scramble and assemble a team in record time. But we’re happy to say that our team is now phenomenal! And so happy for all of the lessons we have learned! Read More>>

Somaira Hernandez

My photography business started off as a hobby of taking images of my first born in 2014. Not long after I had people contact me asking me if I could take pictures of their family, children, etc. I quickly realized I wanted to continue capturing such special moments for other families in their journey of life. So, in late 2014 I began my journey and started MMG PHOTO. I have been blessed to learn from professional photographers, and be mentored by them to get to the level that I am at now. All those long hours of studying and learning from them have molded me into the photographer that I one day wished so dearly to become. Read More>>

Amanda Do

A space filled with love and understanding. A place where parents wouldn’t have to be alone on their child’s journey. My husband and I looked at Liam and knew this was my life’s plan all along, to create this community. My husband and I grass rooted this school putting everything we had into it leaving no option for failure. The year and half it took to open The Reggio Academy was grueling. Every obstacle, every “no”, every rule, regulation, tests..etc was so draining. So many moments I wanted to give up, but when I looked at our children’s faces, I knew I couldn’t. Our community needed this school. My children needed it. Read More>>

Rachel Wilhelm

I was always in the church, leading music and writing songs that I felt no one would ever sing. Most of what was sung was provided by the Nashville, California, or Australian professionals. Many churches never saw the need for a homegrown collection of worship songs. But as I went from place to place over the years, I saw many songwriters in local churches much like myself, and I had so much compassion for them. I would help them refine their songs for worship, and make a point to sing them, even if it meant we couldn’t sing mine. Read More>>

Sheila Hedlund

Like everyone experienced, those five years brought about a lot of change. During that time my husband and I were relocated back home to Nashville. While I have continued flying back and forth to CA for work while managing that office from TN, I really wanted to get back into the treatment room. Last year an opportunity arose for me to purchase the former Prism Face Lab, and that brings us now to The Skin Fairy Nashville. Read More>>

Juan Galvis

As we continued to build our careers and gain promotions, we also began investing in real estate. Our interest in property ownership grew, but in early 2024, we felt a desire to take a bigger risk – to invest in something we were truly passionate about. We both had a deep love for boba tea, and Lane, being a lifelong coffee enthusiast, had always wanted to be involved in the beverage industry. It seemed like the perfect time to explore this dream. Read More>>

Kelly Buckband

This move really changed my career trajectory as I spent the next two years travelling and working for Forbes level companies opening piercing studios from coast to coast. Tattooing took a slight back burner as I was only able to moonlight in the cities I was working, meaning I was just tattooing where I could when I could. In 2023, I found myself missing tattooing, art, and the tattoo shop environment so I moved back to Tennessee where my tattoo roots began and started rebuilding my clientele and niching down on my style. Read More>>

Monica Douglas

As a creative, we are our worst enemy. There are always thoughts of whether your art is good enough, or worth sharing. It’s an endless battle to silence my inner critic so I can create my vision. Over the last two years, I’ve found a beautiful support system of creatives that has uplifted me. We check in with each other regularly, invite each other to events, and share work to critique. I’m very thankful for them. Read More>>

Jackie Laurian Long

We found a 1920’s bungalow on the historic part Music Row in Nashville and after countless hours of business planning, thoughtful design, and renovations, we opened TheraPaint Studio in the Fall of 2024. We have been so lucky to be embraced by the Nashville Wellness Community and beyond and were even named one of the Top Wellness Gifts of 2024 by GOOP. Read More>>

Diane Mulloy

Business Challenges: There are always many challenges in starting a cutting edge business with big bold claims; I had mine, including an initial skepticism from the medical community. However after much outreach and a few years of amazing results for our clients, doctors became our top referral source. Clients were literally reversing osteoporosis using our 10 minute weekly sessions. Obviously the biggest obstacle was Covid and having to restructure how we processed our clients’ sessions. And of course, it is always a challenge to articulate what we do because it is so cutting edge. Osteostrong technology is a biohack and trying to explain that to our demographic of 50-75 year olds is still a challenge. Read More>>

Nick Schrader

Today, I am still both nursing for kids as well as writing songs about my walk with God. Last year, I wrapped production on my very first full-length record! I’m beyond excited to start sharing my new music with people. Ultimately, my prayer is that–whether at a hospital bedside or from a music stage or through some magically generated Spotify playlist–whoever I come into contact with might be blessed and know a little more that Jesus loves them. Read More>>

Maria Vega Porras

By far the biggest struggle has been to build LUBI cookies while we both have full time jobs. Coming home from work after a long day or spending our days off making the dough or baking the orders can leave us drained. Another one is also how demanding some customers can be, questioning everything from the size of the cookies, flavor selection, price and availability can also be draining in a completely different way. Read More>>

Jessica Tucker

I learned alot there while working there. How to color match different skin tones, proper skincare routines, good & bad ingredients in makeup, and so much more. I started doing makeup on clients at Ulta when we would have special events & I quickly fell in love. I started doing makeup on my own, doing freelance work. I honed into my craft & worked at it for years watching YouTube tutorials. I became self taught to where I could start taking clients of my own. Read More>>

Jenn Mcwhorter

Overall, the journey has been smooth, but when it comes to food, challenges are inevitable. One of my top priorities is maintaining exceptional quality and customization, which becomes more challenging as we scale and expand our client base. Fortunately, consistency and a strong team have been key in overcoming obstacles and ensuring we stay on track. Read More>>

Lisset Diaz

College was a very busy time for me. I used to live very far away from the University and all of the classes were in person. In Cuba, most of the people don’t have a car and public transportation is really bad and unreliable. I had to travel for over an hour to go to school from Monday to Friday and the Saturdays I started taking French classes. Back then some of my classmates started a band so I joined it as a backup singer. Read More>>

John Murphy

After working in Nashville for nearly three years he moved to LA and signed with the Fred Segal Beauty Agency where he worked with a variety of actors and entertainers for Red Carpet Events, Award Shows and Magazine Editorials. John went on tour with Rascal Flatts in 2005 and continued until 2011. After coming off the road, John decided to focus on building his own brand. He continues to work on various aspects of Art Direction, within the Country Music Industry. Some of his past clients include Rascal Flatts, Sharon Stone, Jason Aldean, Easton Corbin, Jeremy Piven, Colin Farrell, Chase Bryant, Jackie Lee, Jo Dee Messina, Lindsay Ell, Jon Pardi, Caroline Bryan, Dustin Lynch, and Jon Pardi. Read More>>

Janelle

I also had a Godmother, Elaine Ritzert, who studied music at Indiana University (piano, organ, and clarinet) and was a music therapist as well as music director for a church in Boonville, Indiana. She would take me with her everywhere she went; I would sing most weekends at St. Clements in Boonville, as well as sing at her nursing home. Elaine held season tickets to the Evansville Philharmonic which furthered my love for classical music. My Aunt Elaine was an angel for never giving up on me and one of my biggest musical influences throughout my life!!! Read More>>

Jimmy Charles

I’m thankful for my Dad for instilling traditional country music in me and giving me a true sense of the roots of the genre and where it began. In my opinion no-one should be creating and singing country music without understanding and respecting where it began and the artists that brought it to life. I really fell in love with the story telling and honesty of Country music. As they say “Three chords and the Truth” that’s all you need. I then began writing my own songs at the young age of just 15. Read More>>

Donna Driver

My husband, Kevin, has become a very accomplished set designer and builder over the past five years. Due to his understanding of how all the technical components of shows come together, he has the title of Technical Director for the theater. It is so great to be able to work together at this theater that means so much to us. Read More>>

Shawn Davis

When I started my school, the entire scope of what I had to do, hadn’t crossed my mind. By the time it did, I was almost done with construction. I still had to do the paperwork and presentation before the Barber Board. Read More>>

Mashup! Nashville

MashUp! began on February 20, 2017, as a grassroots effort inspired by a shared vision of advocacy, resilience, and the belief that every voice deserves to be heard. Founded by Dr. Brian Issac Marshall (he/him), MashUp! was created to address a critical void in services for the Black LGBTQ+ community after the closure of a vital program called “Project UNO.” This gap inspired a group of dedicated community members to come together and strategize ways to ensure an ongoing presence that would uplift and support this marginalized community. Read More>>

Rhett Haney

Being a singer in a regional country band is definitely not the road to take if you want to “stand out“. The Denver market is absolutely saturated with country bands. Because of this we try to visually represent ourselves as a “stand out band“. The way we do this is not looking sloppy on stage. We keep a very clean stage. We also have a time coded light show along with video monitors that present synchronized content while we are performing. There are no other bands, in any genre in the area doing the same thing. Read More>>

Karina De Almeida

Karina’s story begins far beyond the borders of Tennessee. She grew up in Ecuador and had family in Portugal, so she was a world traveler from the beginning–and was curious about everything in the kitchen since childhood. Her passion for food only grew over the years as she traveled, worked and studied all around the world, picking up traditional recipes and local secrets from every place she visited. She eventually enrolled at the prestigious French Culinary Institute in NYC, where she got formal training to bring it all together. Read More>>

Marco Biscarini

In the beginning, Romana was cooking out of her 500-square-foot studio apartment, preparing meals for a handful of CrossFit athletes. Word spread quickly, and orders doubled week after week. Before we knew it, her apartment was packed with extra refrigerators and fold-out tables just to keep up. By God’s grace, a commercial incubator kitchen had just opened, allowing us to scale—and with it, we hired our first employees through our church’s rehab program. Read More>>

Ashley Sofia

I convalesced with one sock on (I couldn’t find my things in the move) on a mattress on the floor for many many weeks. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to live. For months I would look at my guitar and weep. Slowly, I turned a corner. It took me more than six months before I was strong enough to even sing again. I made a promise to myself I would never forget how bad my life felt on those days I could not sing and that every day forward, for as long as I lived, I would sing. Read More>>

Caroline Lewis

Owning a company is hard. It comes with lots of ups and downs as business owners wear many hats and try to drive a profitable business without losing the personal touch and quality of their offerings. Oh yeah, and pay their bills! About half of all new businesses will fail within the first 5 years (Shopify, 2024), which is a lot of time and energy down the drain. So what if the businesses had clear goals, knew their customers, and could attract them with ease? Read More>>

Jake Neumar

It’s almost impossible to make a living as JUST a songwriter, or JUST a vocalist. For me, it took over a decade of pursuing music seriously before I could hang the hat on day jobs and side hustles. Then, once I was there, 80% of my working hours were (and sometimes still are) spent producing other artists’ projects. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish all of the songs that I work on, but the kid in me that dreamt of waking up each day to a blank slate to create whatever I wanted had to have a few wake up calls and learn some new skills along the way. Read More>>

Kari Gregg

I found Pilates and it gave me life. I realized how precious this modality was and my new passion was born. To educate and train fellow colleagues, young dancers, athletes, non-athletes, and anyone 5 – 85 years old with a passion for moving. Pilates allows me to continue to do what I love for myself but also the privilege of providing a safe and effective movement modality to others. This method, developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s, is the key to aging gracefully and is seeing a surge of popularity today. Read More>>

Mekennah Ward

It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road—entrepreneurship is a winding road. While growing in my craft came naturally through interest, learning how to communicate my art to the world and navigating the business side as a young woman has been challenging. Finding the right mentors, clients, and partners took time and effort, but these challenges have all been incredibly rewarding. Over the last four years of dedicating myself fully to this career, I’ve gained invaluable lessons. For anyone just starting, my biggest advice is to pursue your passions, even when fear sets in. Growth and success often lie just beyond that initial imposter syndrome. Read More>>

John Salaway

I couldn’t take long touring opportunities so I learned how to book shows and create residencies and reoccurring local shows that could be regular income I could count on. At the same time, I invested in building my own studio piece by piece. I worked on my craft as a multi instrumentalist and learned how to become a better producer and songwriter. I’m open minded and constantly trying to learn more and improve everything i do while also always trying to treat others with respect and kindness. It’s been a long hard road but I try to remind myself to have gratitude for all of it. Read More>>

Carlos Arellano

I started work in construction by 2 years, then I worked as Lyft driver and also as delivery guy for apps like DoorDash, InstaCart and GrubHub. After 6 months working with deliveries I got a job as Graphic Designer in a print store located in Gallatin and after a few months I got the manager position. Sadly, the store had to close and I decided to try another path following one of my passions, “cars”. I worked for a few months in a shop where I learned a lot about cars, at the same time the owners of a new restaurant in Smyrna (Bella Vista) contacted me to paint a graffiti wall. I did it and that open a door for people to see my art. That was the first of many wall arts that I painted in Smyrna (Bella Vista Restaurant), Franklin (Wilco Restaurant) and AirBnBs in Nashville area. Read More>>

Ben Peverall

I was completely in awe of how everything, every little detail was centred around my addiction. Music. Even the bike rack on Demonbreun St. is shaped like a microphone. I remember that vividly from when I skated downtown from Belmont on that trip. So on the way home, as a 19yr old, I texted my whole family in a group text that I was moving, and 4 months later I was gone. In my 1996 Ford Taurus I packed what gear I had, clothes, and bedding. I didn’t even have a bed, a place to live, and knew 2 people in Nashville. Somehow though, every single inch of my instinct knew I was making the right call and I was riddled with inspiration and excitement. Read More>>

Ryan Franicevic

Bar & Stone isn’t just about serving drinks. It’s about delivering a **seamless, high-end experience** by planning and coordinating everything related to our services. That means working closely with partners like **Cool Springs Wine & Spirits for alcohol coordination, glassware rental companies for premium presentation, and custom ice providers for details like stamped cubes and spheres.** Every element matters. Read More>>

Hannah Burrell

Engagement sessions are a favorite of mine. I love getting to capture the love the couple has for one another and their excitement for the season of life they are in. I am most proud of a one engagement session I had that allowed me to be creative with it. I still love looking back at those photos. I love having bright, clean photos with a little bit of warmth to them. I’m a fan of colors and love when photos are bright and cheerful. I have been a second shooter for weddings as well which has helped me learn more from other photographers and helped me network with many people. Those weddings are always such a fun time! Read More>>

Trenton Manning

As a kid, I also learned to appreciate various styles of music. My mom got me into Classical, both parents also raised me on Classic Rock. My dad and uncle introduced me to a lot of Country artists (my uncle started showing me Jazz Fusion bands at young age too), my brother showed me so many different Electronica and Experimental artists, and my friends in school got me into Hip-Hop. Read More>>

Christy Lee Rogers

Filmmaking was one of my first loves; one of those obsessions that I developed as a teenager and carried on into adult life. It began with experimental short films, and then tv commercials in order to earn a living, and finally feature length independent filmmaking. Up until that point, I was one of those private closet photographers, showing very few of my images. I was always misunderstood as a photographer, but in 2009 I did my first exhibition in Los Angeles and I never looked back. Today my work is represented by eleven galleries worldwide, from Shanghai to Dallas, Texas, and I spend my days in my home studio in Leipers Fork, TN creating. Read More>>

Khay Renee

I was born and raised in Nashville and have lived here my whole life. I absolutely love this city—it’s home to me, and there’s always something exciting happening here. I graduated from East Nashville Magnet High School and furthered my education at Fisk University where I received my degree in Business Administration. I’d decided to purse a degree in Business because I felt like it could elevate my understanding of running a business of my own. So, one could say that my time at Fisk is where it all started for me in terms my journey as a creative.  Read More>>

Jenah Park

I teach High Fitness at the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex. It is a fun, high energy, aerobic-style fitness class that is open to anyone and everyone. This class is music-driven with fun movements that challenge the body, but provide modifications, so anyone can participate! It has been the biggest blessing to be able to bring this format to Nashville and meet so many amazing people along the way. Nothing fires me up more than watching participants challenge themselves and find happiness while working towards the best version of themselves. Read More>>

Shelly Angus

The Link Lab was born in the summer of 2022 for my daughter as a way for her to earn extra money during her senior year of high school. Inspired by our own permanent anklet experience in 2020, we transformed part of my Permanent Makeup studio into a welcoming space for her to start this venture. Read More>>

Aries Rivera

First of all, it is a different country with a different culture. The need to adapt to another way of life is hard at first, but you always find people who accompany you on this path and make it easier. Another difficulty in this adventure was the language. In my country we speak Spanish and, to adapt, you need to improve your second language. You miss your family and friends and also your own culture, but, over time, I learned to feel like a citizen of another world living the American dream. Read More>>

Ash Taylor

I grew up in Bakersfield, California—a town with deep country roots and home to the famous Bakersfield Sound. Whether I knew it or not at the time, being surrounded by that history had a big impact on me. Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam—those artists shaped so much of what I do today. But even though I loved country music, I didn’t actually pick up a guitar until I was 17. Once I did, everything changed. Read More>>

Bailly Castillo

I’ve been immersed in the world of performance my entire life. Growing up, I was fortunate to be part of my mom’s dance company, where I was able to learn the fundamentals of what it means to truly be a performer. I also dove into musical theatre throughout elementary/high school and participated in every talent show opportunity I could. These experiences shaped my passion for the stage and solidified my love for music and performing. Read More>>

Laura Baker

Once I started a family, I knew I wanted to move closer to home (Ohio). We landed in Nashville because it was close to home but still required planning if our parents or in-laws wished to visit. I accepted the job as Director at Williamson County Animal Center in 2013 and switched from the government to nonprofit by accepting the Director position at Nashville Humane Association in 2017. Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian and a ballerina. Little did I know that the perfect career for me was actually animal sheltering. Read More>>

Mark Burns

But in my lowest moment, Jesus met me. His grace, mercy, and forgiveness flooded my life, and I finally understood that I couldn’t do it all on my own—I needed Him. That’s when everything started to change. I began healing, and I felt a calling to serve. I started leading high school students in youth ministry, sharing with them the same hope that had transformed me. Even while I was still processing my own grief, God was using me to help others, and in that, I found true purpose. Read More>>

Nicole De Senzo

Growth is uncomfortable, but it’s imperative. I struggled with accountability, rejection, and, really, just facing the ‘hard things’ head-on instead of tiptoeing around them. Starting over in a new city and making new friends is hard enough, but building a clientele from scratch by finding like-minded people who enjoy working with you can be intimidating. However, when I decided to be myself and made helping others my main focus, both my personal life and business began to flourish. It became much less complicated when I broke it down like that and took the pressure off myself. Read More>>

Jas & Ray

Jas & Ray discovered their sound sitting around the campfire with a guitar drinking wine this past June 2024. Their blend of country, blues, and Americana songs feel right at home in Nashville, the city that brought them together. The duo is currently working on an EP inspired by life in the countryside and the classic sounds of music city. Read More>>