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.
Rita Pearl 
I’d like to believe it was fate that brought me to Tennessee. Read more>>
Ebony Lovely 
My name is Ebony Lovely, and I am a Money Coach. My journey with financial literacy began over 20 years ago and led me on a journey of paying off over $116,000 in 3 years. Everything that I have learned and experienced led me to coaching, so that I can share the passion and knowledge I have with others. Read more>>
Nicole Leinbach Hoffman 
My career has always centered on helping businesses connect with consumers—understanding what people need, how they shop, and what makes them feel confident making a purchase. That passion led me to create Retail Minded, where I’ve spent years supporting independent retailers through education, industry insights, and practical business strategies. Read more>>
Jeremy Mitchell 
I’ve spent most of my career as a creative working in advertising, building brands, and making things for a screen. But baseball has always been a big part of my life. I grew up playing the game, collecting baseball cards, and paying attention to the colors, uniforms, stripes, and history that make baseball so visually distinctive. Read more>>
Belle Modeen 
My earliest memory of singing was when I sang part of your world from the little mermaid in the back of my mom’s car (she still has this video and loves to show it off in the airport). When I was in elementary school my most favorite subject was music class, I proudly sang like no one was watching during all concerts. Read more>>
Dharmesh Kothari 
Our story began with a shared love for gemstones, craftsmanship, and the art of creating beautiful things. Namrata and I come from a background deeply rooted in fine jewelry. Before establishing our own brand, we had the privilege of creating jewelry for renowned names, including Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari. Read more>>
Ankita Patel 
My story with Saganki By Ankita really begins with a simple love for fashion. That love is what gave me the courage to start my own business in 2010 in India, from my parents’ home. I was just 20 years old and still studying in college at the time. Read more>>
Brandie Resha 
Throughout my life, I have consistently been fascinated by skincare. However, despite experimenting with numerous skincare brands, I have yet to find a product that meets my expectations. Since graduating from college, I have engaged in various activities, including teaching dance, performing, and holding multiple part-time jobs. Read more>>
Chloe Gilpin 
I got my start in music from a very young age, performing in choirs, operas, plays, musicals, and eventually transitioned into writing music as a teenager. My dad is a jazz pianist, so I took a lot of musical influence from him at first, but branched off into more of a folk-rocky sound as I entered my 20s. Read more>>
Jack Foster 
I’m a nashville native and have been making music as long as I can remember. I attended highschool at Nashville School of the Arts, a public arts school, and there I got started recording friends bands, and making beats for local rappers. From there I’ve been working as a producer/engineer in the city ever since. Read more>>
Reagan Marelle Begley 
I think I’ve always known I wanted to be a fashion designer. When I was seven years old, I sat behind my little Barbie sewing machine, dreaming of becoming the next Coco Chanel. I didn’t know exactly what that meant at the time, but I knew I loved creating things. Read more>>
Nathanial Jacob 
My journey into photography began with an interest in art and the ways an image can express something words sometimes cannot. That creative perspective is still at the heart of my work, whether I’m photographing a person, an interior, or developing a more conceptual idea. I have roots in Ohio, and today I’m based in Franklin, Tennessee, working throughout the Nashville area. Read more>>
Christy Scarpelli 
My journey in the beauty industry began over 17 years ago, and what started as a passion for creativity and curiosity has evolved into a career that has taken me places I never could have imagined. Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work in different parts of the country and internationally, including the UK. Read more>>
Cameron Cruce 
There was a summer I slept behind the dumpster of a church. As the lights went out inside, I’d slip through the doors, roll under a pew, and wait for the building to empty. There in the dark, I’d sit on the stage playing the piano until my fingers burned, sometimes until the sun rose. Read more>>
Fiona Fox
I’ve never been particularly good at staying in one lane, and looking back, I think that’s probably one of the reasons I’ve ended up exactly where I am today. I was born in Malaysia, grew up in Australia, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in my early 20s. Read more>>
Austin Smith 
My journey as a tattoo artist began in an unconventional way. In 2012, while serving as a Combat Medic in the U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, Washington, a few friends asked me to design memorial tattoos after they lost a buddy during their deployment to Afghanistan. Read more>>
Kaylee Lam 
My journey began about 10 years ago when I immigrated to the United States. Starting a new life in a new country was not easy. I had to adapt to a different culture, learn new things, and work hard to build a future for myself. I started my career as a nail technician with a passion for beauty and creativity. Read more>>
Jonathan Royal 
My mother gave me a Sony Cyber Shot ( that i still have ) years ago and it all started from there. Capturing everything from trips and family events, I always had that camera with me. Then years later I took a film course in college not knowing that was going influence me to go into photography. Read more>>
Katie Night 
After years of loving reading and using it as an escape I finally took the plunge. My writing career started about four years ago, and I had gone out to dinner with some of my mom’s friends. Read more>>
Tylor Miller 
My story started in London, but I was raised in Miami by a single mother who taught me the value of faith, hard work, and making the most of what you have. Read more>>
Blake Bergman, Wesley Stromberg, Keaton Stromberg Stella Studios 
‘We collectively moved from LA about 3 years ago. Keaton was running a studio called Red Door in Studio City white I was running Stella Studios in North Hollywood. Keaton and Wes have been in bands their whole lives, rising to fame through their band Emblem3, and dove heavy into the production and writing side while in-between tours and throughout their careers. Read more>>
Kylie Sackley 
I entered a country music competition a week before my 12th birthday & won first place having never really publically sung before. From there i caught the bug, spent years touring the Australian competition market before winning Starmaker, Australia’s biggest country music competition. From that i got to release my first single to radio (went top 5) and tour. Read more>>
Rocky 2am 
I was born and raised in Miami in perhaps the Mecca of latino and Hispanic culture in the United States. I was raised with that latin music in my ear as my dad loved it and with 60’s pop and R&B which my mother loved. Read more>>
Cameron Holdaway 
I have always loved movies, but didn’t start considering film as a potential career until college. I attended Brigham Young University-Idaho and got a Bachelor’s degree in communications, with an emphasis in video production. I really enjoyed my video classes where I learned about the different areas of filmmaking. Read more>>
Gary Quinn 
I grew up in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, where music was always a big part of my life. I was raised on a mixture of traditional country music and the sounds of artists like Garth Brooks, who really inspired me to pick up a guitar and eventually start writing my own songs. Read more>>
Lyndsey + Danielle Burns + Parhalo 
Palmare Hot Dogs was born from a simple idea: What if we could take something as nostalgic and universally loved as a hot dog and turn it into an elevated, memorable experience? We’re Danielle Parhalo and Lyndsey Burns, co-founders of Palmare Hot Dogs, a female-owned mobile food and catering business based in Franklin, Tennessee. Read more>>
Blair Toney 
I’ve always been ambitious and determined for as long as I can remember. I never liked being told I couldn’t do something. My entire senior year of college, I told my parents I was moving to Chicago after graduation. I don’t think anyone really believed I was serious, but I graduated on a Friday, moved on a Saturday, and started working on a Monday. Read more>>
Kendré Streeter 
I started as a Nashville musician who could play – bass, drums, keys – but wasn’t really _being_ myself yet. For a while music was just a good side hustle. People knew me as the musician in the band, but behind that I was quietly learning how to sing, how to write, how to become a headline artist. Read more>>
Missy Mahjong 
As someone who has moved several times, I know how hard it is to make friends as an adult. In 2023, my family made our most recent move, to Nashville, and I found myself lonely in a new city again. I was determined to make the most of it. Read more>>
Joe Major
Joe Major is a Nashville-influenced creative consultant, DJ, host, and event creator whose work bridges music, culture, and global experiences. With 15 years of experience working with independent artists, curating events, and entertaining audiences, he brings a unique blend of creativity, connection, and Southern influence to everything he does. Read more>>
Randall Roop 
Daily Grind Coffee House is a locally owned, community-driven coffee shop built on a passion for great coffee, handcrafted food, and meaningful connections. Founded by husbands Stevyn Gilmore and Randall Roop, Daily Grind has grown from a small neighborhood café into an award-winning local business known for its specialty coffee, scratch-made baked goods, fresh breakfast and lunch offerings, and welcoming atmosphere. Read more>>
Scott Carroll 
My first career started out as a high school teacher. But I had always wanted to go to film school. At the time no film schools were local and I didn’t want to move. So I eventually decided to go into teaching. I did some photography when I was younger, but nothing serious, but was always fascinated with movies and stories. Read more>>
Nick Buda 
I’ve always known I wanted to play drums. I moved with my mom to Nashville from Cape Town, South Africa when I was 12. It was obviously a difficult adjustment and it took me a while to assimilate and make friends. I knew I wanted to play drums and in this time, it’s all i wanted to do. Read more>>
Christalynn Frazer 
I was gifted my first camera in 2019 but, I Have always had some kind of camera in my hand. I don’t know how to not stop at a random spot and say this would be a perfect picture. Im in the family that says let me take a picture(of everything). Read more>>
Kori Edgington 
My Select Designs story started in 2015, just after I having my 2nd child. I was looking to step away from a full time job to a part time to soak up those new mom moments but still wanted to contribute financially to my family. Read more>>
Mikkita Moore 
My journey into entrepreneurship started long before I fully understood what it meant to be a businesswoman. I became a licensed cosmetologist in 1999, opened my first salon in 2004, and went on to build and operate several salons. That experience taught me about business ownership, leadership, customer service, and most importantly, what it takes to build something from the ground up. Read more>>
Paul Bauer 
My Batman origin story starts in 2014 when I reentered the dating market after a 14-year marriage ended in divorce. I spent about 11 months of that year floundering on the dating circuit. I was 50 pounds overweight and out of practice, having not dated for the prior 15 years. Read more>>
Claire Farrenkopf 
It amazes me to think this is my fifteenth year behind the chair! I was lucky enough to know from a very young age that becoming a hair stylist was what I wanted to do, and my passion for it has never wavered, even through the more difficult times of my career. Read more>>
Jessica Naguib 
My journey has definitely not been a straight line, but I think that’s what makes it so special! I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Nashville over a decade ago. I started my career in healthcare as an emergency room nurse, where I spent several years caring for patients in some of their most vulnerable moments. Read more>>
Kyna Bam Ealey 
JusBam is a powerful journey of a trailblazing emcee, theater actress, spoken word artist, and independent music executive who carved out her own space in hip-hop history. My performance journey began long before hip-hop. At age 12, I discovered theater, performing in stage plays and educational PSAs that built quick-thinking improvisational skills and magnetic live execution. Read more>>
cintoria Franklin 
My story began on the South Side of Chicago, but my journey has taken me through seasons of struggle, growth, and finding my voice. As a single mother of three daughters, an entrepreneur, and a domestic violence advocate, I know what it means to keep showing up while rebuilding your own life. Read more>>
Amelia Wells 
I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life! Both of my parents are musicians, and I grew up watching my dad lead worship at our church. We’ve always had instruments all over the house. I started singing and performing with my three siblings in our band, Hope Lane, and that’s really where my love for music, songwriting, and worship began. Read more>>
Emilia Rivera 
Growing up in Honduras, I struggled with commercial deodorants, the fragrances were too strong and made me physically sick. My grandmother handed me a bottle of Milk of Magnesia and told me to use that instead. I tried it immediately, because thanks to my mother, I had grown up trusting natural ingredients as an alternative for so many things. Read more>>
Tony Morreale 
A long time student of US history, specifically the Civil War era, I was bitten by the history bug in the third grade when my parents took my to Gettysburg after dong a book report. Many, many years later, I started working at the Lotz House in 2025 and was named Community Development Director in September of 2026. Read more>>
Anne Goetze 
I came to Nashville as a newlywed in 1982. Wanting to pursue my love of photography and art, I found a job as a retouch artist with a Master portrait photographer based in Belle Meade, Marion Ward. I became his assistant as a wedding photographer as well and had the great experience to be in just about every church and denomination in town. Read more>>
PHILIP WYATT 
Country music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but my connection to it goes much deeper than simply enjoying the music. Growing up, I watched how much country music meant to my mother. Read more>>
Deanna Marie 
I’ll try to make it brief, but my career has taken many turns and got started (what I think) is a little late in life. I studied theater and thought I wanted to be on Broadway (NYC). Growing up in the arts was such a blessing, it taught me so much about myself. Read more>>
Heather Wall 
I started Drama People, our theater group, because families in our homeschool co-op expressed wanting a drama class for their students. I loved theater in high school and college and even though I studied English, I thought I could give it a try. I knew that I was a creative person with a love for building community, the arts and excellent story-telling. Read more>>
Takaya Eafen
My journey started when I went to The University of Memphis, pursuing my bachelors degree in Fashion Design. Here I made connections, learned couture sewing, and began my embroidery business. Today I am an art educator and a fashion designer, creating streetwear and formal attire. Read more>>
Jimmy Judd 
I’ve always loved being outdoors, traveling and exploring new places, and I think photography became a way for me to bring those things together. Before I ever really considered photography as a career, I was already drawn to capturing the places I went and the things I saw there. Read more>>
