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.
XOË MILES
Hi! I’m Xoë Miles, and I’m a pop singer-songwriter. I’m originally from Montgomery, Texas, but now live in Nashville, Tennessee. I started playing guitar, writing songs, and recording in studios when I was 12 years old, and have since then been lucky travel all over the country to perform and work with some of the most talented people in the music industry. Read more>>
Java Hemmat
Hi, I’m Javaneh! Born to Persian parents in the UAE oasis, surrounded by desert dunes and date-bearing palm trees, my world was enriched by a tapestry of vibrant cultures and their unique cuisines. Read more>>
Olivia Howell
My story starts where so many others do — on the floor of a half-empty bedroom, staring at the gaps where furniture used to be. It was 2019, a few months after my divorce was finalized. My ex had taken his instruments, the recording gear, the coffee table. Read more>>
Justin Bralts Jonathan Sepulveda
BusCall started in Nashville in 2018 with a simple idea: create a place where emerging artists could truly feel seen, heard, and celebrated. Read more>>
Robert Deitz
Reef Route Aquatics actually starter on accident. I never intended it to be a business or something someone could make money from. I started out on online fish forums, and Facebook groups. A company was dropping 1-900-0000 banners for Aquarium help over the phone. I approached the moderators, and admins, I thought that was wrong, we’re all here to help, and no one took action. Read more>>
Katie Day
In 2020, I was given the opportunity to partner with our local church to start up a small counseling practice focused on providing therapy services at a lower rate, right in our little town. This was really a unique set up with a fully invested partnership, affordable rent, and a steady stream of clients. Read more>>
Curtis ‘Footz’ Comack
I got my introduction to learning bass my junior year of high school being in the jazz band in Birmingham, AL (A.H. Parker High C/O ’07); under the direction of Mr. Leroy Allen. He was looking for a student bassist, since the one we had at the time was a senior and about to graduate. So he ‘volunteered’ me for the position. Read more>>
Coury Palermo
I began working with clay a little over three and a half years ago. I signed up for an eight-week course at Nashville’s Metro Parks Centennial Arts Center in the fall of ’22 with no aspirations other than trying my hand at something I had always had a casual fascination with. By the end of the first class, I was hooked. Read more>>
Lemonade No Sugar
My holistic journey began in Memphis, Tennessee during 2020. During that time, I had a very hard time discovering products that could heal my eczema flare ups while moisturizing my overall skin. After many failed trails with prescribed medication. I took the chance to discover how to hand make my own skin and body care products with a special formula designed for sensitive skin. Read more>>
Beverly Griffith
I bought my beautiful house in 2017 after having moved back to Nashville in 2014. I had previously lived here from 1999 through 2004, having graduated from Belmont with a BBA in Music Business. I started decorating my home while bartending at Mercy Lounge, and began posting house updates on Instagram along with other inspirational, unique homes and decor I came across and loved. Read more>>
DeeAnn Dominy
I am from Arlington, Texas but moved to Nashville when I was 26 years old. I had been singing since I was 5 and wrote my first song at 20 yrs old. My Dad played so many country and soul albums for me while I was growing up and I could not focus on anything but writing songs and singing. Read more>>
Kyra Morgan
I’ve been writing songs since I was three years old. My parents have home videos of me making up songs, one about corn chips being a notable one. Throughout middle school and high school I participated in showcases and talent shows where I played my original songs. Once I graduated, I moved to Murfreesboro TN to study songwriting at MTSU. Read more>>
Kimberly Coleman
I started Services By Kim from a genuine passion for helping women feel seen, supported, and restored — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Read more>>
Sage DeAngelis
I never expected content creation to become such a big part of my life. What started as casually posting videos online slowly turned into a real creative outlet and eventually, a side hustle & business. At first, I was simply sharing moments from my everyday life, experimenting with trends, storytelling, and learning how to connect with people through short-form video. Read more>>
Devon Marchaun
My path into the creative world started after stepping away from football at Missouri Baptist University. I had been fully committed to the sport, but I knew I was built to create something not just compete. I returned home to Chicago, and the people around me pushed me toward that. Read more>>
Marchella Leone-Laskin
I’m the founder of The Brokerage Pilates, a contemporary Pilates studio in Nashville built around the idea that movement is an investment in yourself. Before opening the studio, I spent several years in brand management working on national consumer brands, where I developed a strong foundation in marketing, strategy, and community building. Read more>>
Sebastian Avalos
My real name is Sebastian Avalos, and my artist name is The One He Loved. I grew up in an artistic household, my mom being a librarian and my dad a band director (both of them were mariachis, and my dad even toured as a child prodigy). Read more>>
Roy Sedrick Foster III
I grew up in Amory, Mississippi. My grandfather had a furniture manufacturing shop, and I spent years there before I was ever thinking about art, learning how wood and fabric behaves, how surfaces respond, what it takes to make something that holds together. From there I moved into steel forging, then leather craftsmanship. Nearly two decades of that kind of work. Read more>>
Michael Rix
Michael Rix ‘Ricks’ is an American banjo country artist and author in Nashville. He is best known for his skills as a banjo player and is recognized throughout the country. Ricks is the author of the book From Cult to Country: An Asthmatic’s Journey to Find More Air. Read more>>
Ben Benjamin
This will be condensed although it may not appear to be. This story is all relevant to the end game. *4 yrs in US Army, Sargent *Touring musician/released 3 record albums *Head of Mfg. Read more>>
Kenia Cesar
Hope’s Children Organization started from a simple but deeply personal desire to help children and families in Haiti who are facing poverty, lack of resources, and limited access to basic necessities. Growing up and witnessing many of the challenges that families in Haiti experience inspired us to want to create something meaningful, even if we had to start small. Read more>>
Brendalyn Carpenter Player
My name is Brendalyn Carpenter Player, and I am an Unapologetic Introvert. I mean that in the most empowering way possible. As Founder and CEO of Unapologetic Introvert, my coaching and consulting firm is built on a core belief that your quiet nature is not a limitation. It is a competitive advantage. Quiet professionals can excel and thrive in high-visibility roles. Read more>>
Cassie Damer
My story really started during the pandemic, like so many others, I rediscovered my love of reading. I did what every new romance reader does who are on Booktok and started with the classics: A Court of Thorns and Roses, the Gilded Prisoner series. I was hooked. Read more>>
Erik Stone
Our lives can be complex and that makes it interesting. Many of us set our sights in one direction. We have one focus, one interest. My interests are many. But I strive to do my best in whatever road I take. I want to inspire others to do their best too. I have a good work ethic. I’m rather a perfectionist with myself. Read more>>
Alex Reavis
I was born and raised in Nashville, TN, watching the city grow through the 90’s and 2000’s. I got started learning photography as a teenager, my mom a professional photographer and computer expert. In high school I studied filmmakers and artists that would inspire me to go on to graduate from MTSU with a degree in Film & TV Production. Read more>>
Kyle Conforti
Sea of Mud started in our garage with a pretty simple idea: we felt like a lot of the rural, western, and pro-America apparel on the market had become watered down. It looked the part, but it didn’t really have any grit behind it. We wanted to build something with more punch — something that actually reflected the people and culture we grew up around. Read more>>
Erika Hopkins
Before joining Liquor Lab, I spent nine years working as a flight attendant while also owning my own wedding business in California. I moved to Nashville in 2017 and I realized by 2020 that my true passion was in events and hospitality. Read more>>
Flossy
Flossy started from a desire to reconnect with my younger self. The 10 yr old who sat on her bedroom floor teaching herself guitar with sore fingertips and fervently scribbling lyrics into her diary. After moving to Nashville from Denver, CO and taking a musical hiatus for some much needed recentering, I was itching to create again. Read more>>
Stephanie Hubbard
As a survivor of a very turbulent and poverty riddled childhood I was blessed at 11 years old to be ‘hired’ to work for free at a horse rental stable in Nashville that capitalized on tourists in exchange for a free horseback ride at the end of the day. Read more>>
Christina Slate
My life is divided into before and after August 12, 2019. It’s the day my firstborn child and only son, Caleb, died unexpectedly by suicide at the age of 17. What began as a normal Monday ended in unimaginable tragedy. Read more>>
William Simmons
My journey has been shaped by faith, fatherhood, creativity, and a growing commitment to entrepreneurship. I was raised in a spiritually grounded household—my father served as a pastor for 25 years—which instilled in me the importance of integrity, purpose, and trusting God’s timing. Read more>>
Caroline Lobb
It all started with a little girl who was obsessed with the blues. Stevie Ray Vaughan was my idol growing up, and when I got my little pink Fender Squier, I was convinced I knew exactly what I was supposed to do with my life—be a rockstar. Read more>>
Madison Rolley
I grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, and from a young age I dreamed about seeing the world beyond my rural (2 hour drive to the nearest trader joes) hometown. Growing up in a tourism-driven mountain town surrounded by natural beauty sparked a deep curiosity in me about travel, culture, and the lives people lived outside of what I knew. Read more>>
Emma Moore
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a photographer who travelled the world for work. I couldn’t picture myself with a traditional 9-5 desk job, so why not pursue what I love most? When I was younger, I would mess around with my Dad’s Canon Rebel camera, but I didn’t start taking photography seriously until my freshman year of college. Read more>>
Kyla Jade
My journey in music started in church, where I developed my voice and passion for performing at a very young age. Gospel and soul music became the foundation of everything I do, and that passion eventually led me into a professional career in television and touring. Read more>>
Ursula Reed
When I entered real estate, I did not set out to simply sell homes; I set out to create something meaningful. Before real estate, I spent nearly two decades as a school counselor. That chapter of my life shaped how I connect with people. It taught me how to listen deeply, guide others through important life decisions, and understand that every person’s story matters. Read more>>
Makenna Ausbrooks
I started dancing when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I have always been interested in dance and how people used it to entertain and tell stories. Around the time I started college, I decided to really take dance seriously. I began taking classes in styles I had never tried before and stepped way out of my comfort zone. Read more>>
victor reed
I actually started out in graphic design. My brother, Robert, was studying graphic design at the University of Memphis, and he told me that if I wanted to really understand design, I needed to take photography classes too. So I bought a camera while I was in high school and honestly, it just sat on my desk for about a year. Read more>>
La’Jaunea Esaw
From an early age, storytelling and the arts were central to my life. Born and raised in Nashville, I grew up immersed in creativity, eventually attending Nashville School of the Arts, where I studied theater and performed in plays throughout high school. Read more>>
Josh Kincheloe
One of the biggest risks I ever took was walking away from a successful career as a full-time touring musician to start over as an artist from scratch. Right out of high school, I began playing professionally as a hired gun, and over the next decade I built a career that took me all over the world. Read more>>
Elise Greganti
I started baking and decorating cakes at 13 years old through a year-long school program in Southern California called PHD (Project Heart’s Desire). During that year, I learned everything from basic baking techniques to decorating a four-tier wedding cake with a fountain in the center. From the beginning, I was drawn not only to baking itself, but to the artistry and storytelling behind it. Read more>>
Kate Scanlan
Finding beauty behind the camera started young for me. By no means would I call myself a seasoned photographer, but I’ve always loved capturing moments. Growing up, my dad carried a camcorder everywhere, recording both the big milestones and the small everyday moments throughout my childhood. Those are some of my earliest memories, and where my fascination with storytelling and ‘content creation’ really began. Read more>>
Charmaine (Aunty) Carraway
My story starts in Brooklyn, New York — in the home of women who didn’t have the luxury of falling apart. My grandmother Frances was African American — a woman of elegance, deep faith, and quiet authority. She married into African royalty. Read more>>
Olivia Ray
So to sum my story up, I have always just LOVED music. I am very auditory and the range of things you can listen to always amazed me. I am from Boston. I grew up believing in the power of a business degree and initially I didn’t even know a major such as “Music Business” could exist. Read more>>
Crystal Statskey-Biichle
I’m Crystal, one half of the couple behind Dates in the States alongside my husband, Shane. We’re based in Rochester, New York, and over the years we’ve traveled to every mainland U.S. state on a budget while documenting unique date ideas, hidden gems, road trips, and experiences along the way. Read more>>
Rachael Mann
My journey in music began in Alabama, where I started singing at the age of seven. I grew up singing in church, school plays, and local events, and music quickly became a huge part of my life. One of my earliest memories was singing my first church solo at just 10 years old — “Somebody Love Me” by Michael W. Smith. Read more>>
Ashley Martinez
After high school I tried community college, and quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I was getting my nails done regularly at a salon in Bellevue and my nail tech at the time offered me a position at her salon. Since I didn’t have a career path planned out I decided to start beauty school and become an apprentice. Read more>>
Juliana Fetherman
I am Juliana Fetherman, I am 29 years old and I have started 4 businesses-yes, 4. Lets talk about it! I created an app that helps individuals with special needs make friends, Making Authentic Friendships, MAF, which are also my brothers initials. My brother Michael has autism and has always struggle to make and keep meaningful friendships, so I set out to change that. Read more>>
Isaac Sanchez
I am originally from San Miguel, El Salvador, and I am a trained engineer by profession. After relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, I began a personal reinvention journey that led me to build a digital platform focused on lifestyle, experiences, and discovering the city. What started organically has grown into a strong community where I connect audiences with local places, events, and businesses. Read more>>
Anthony Mathis
I remember when the television show So You Think You Can Dance first aired. I was seven years old. Every episode, every song, every step. Read more>>
Danielle Palladino
I’ve been in the health and performance space for over a decade, but my story started long before that. I grew up as an athlete, learning early that discipline, consistency, and how you take care of your body shape everything else in your life. Read more>>
James Laster
I began comedy two years ago. As I worked toward mastery, I have learned much about myself and the city I was born in. I hope to bring this journey to my jokes and give a narrative that’s funny as well as insightful. Read more>>
