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.
Emily Brown
I decided to go to massage school after having gotten a degree in Jazz Vocal Performance. I was supporting myself working an insurance job after college, and quickly discovered I hated the feel of Corporate America. Read more>>
Mya Anderson-Weaver
I am Mya Anderson-Weaver and I am the general manager of New Holland Coffee Co. I have lived in the heart of Lancaster County Pennsylvania my entire life. In 2019 I left college as an unmoored film and media arts major. I had no idea where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>>
Meredith Hunt
The story behind my business really stems from two lifelong loves: babies and photography. I grew up in a large family with seven siblings, five of them younger than me, and for as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to work with babies. Read more>>
Nancy Yurescko-Suhan
Lotsa Laffs Photo Booths was created in 2015, almost by accident. While providing DJ services at a Sweet 16 party, I noticed the photo booth they had rented and thought, “I could build something better.” At the time, it was simply a camera connected to a printer and operated by a photographer. Read more>>
Melissa Line
I have been an RN since 2018 and worked in Adult ICU and Pediatric ICU before finding and falling in love with the NICU over five years ago. Being a NICU RN quickly became my passion. I love working with the most fragile babies, and truly feel honored to be trusted in this role. Read more>>
Jesse Turek
I started in beauty, fresh out of high school, Working with Laura Mercier as a makeup artist and learning how color, light, and small choices change how someone feels. In Los Angeles, I studied Interior Design at FIDM and opened my first firm, then headed to New York City to rebuild and grow. Read more>>
Elyse Lupin
Fun fact: I began my career as an NBC Page, a position made famous by Kenneth on “30 Rock” that has an acceptance rate of less than two percent. Through that role, I gained unparalleled experience working on shows such as Today and Saturday Night Live and felt particularly drawn to the marketing strategy and tactics that I saw in action. Read more>>
Kristin Brockman
I started my photography business in 2019 when my daughter was 3 years old and began going to preschool a few days a week. It was my way of carving out a few hours in my week to do something creative, just for myself. Read more>>
Maggie Cooper
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved photography. I was the weird kid in high school who carried a camera everywhere, capturing all of the moments and memories happening around me. At the time, I didn’t realize just how important those photos would become. Read more>>
Alonzo Coates
Alonzo Coates is the founder and owner of the Capital II Group, Inc d/b/a Kitche Korners, a licensed shared-use commissary kitchen in Philadelphia. With a degree in Economics from Penn State University and more than 25 years of entrepreneurial experience spanning real estate, finance, property management, and business operations, Alonzo has dedicated his career to helping others succeed. Read more>>
Christopher and Corey Sickels and Young
French Creek Framing & Fine Art really started with a dream. Corey and I wanted to own a business of our own, and while we may not have known what type of business, this was our goal. We heard about a framing business and thought this could be a great opportunity for us to start our dream. Read more>>
Christine Richardson
I’m Christine, the founder of JCR Integrated Wellness. My journey into holistic health started with my own recovery after a car accident, I discovered the profound impact that massage and acupuncture could have on the body. I knew I wanted to dedicate my career to helping others access that same kind of care. Read more>>
Sara Faust-Strang
At six years old I knew I desired to be a Funeral Director when I grew up. I began my professional career in the Funeral Industry at the age of 14 as an assistant in the Funeral Home. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my professional career assisting people through their hardest moments. Read more>>
Kendell Ball
Every journey has an origin story — mine began not with a camera in hand, but with pain. A workplace injury set off a chain of physical complications I never anticipated. What started as a single incident gradually snowballed into chronic issues that took a real toll on my body — and eventually, my mind. Read more>>
Gretchen Johnson
My story starts in 2004, when I took my first film photography class at a local college. I was hooked immediately. I started doing family portraits for all of my friends, then printing everything myself in the darkroom. My friends would buy the film and the paper, and I would do the rest. It was as grassroots as it gets. Read more>>
Brittney Gilbert
My name is Brittney Gilbert, a native of Brooklyn, NY, and I began my dance journey at thirteen years old at the Harlem School of the Arts. The arts were always a central part of my childhood, as I grew up in a household filled with music, creativity, and self expression. Read more>>
Vanessa Talkington Michael
I was born and raised in Hawai’i where two worlds met with my mother being a first generation immigrant from Taiwan and my father having relocated from Pittsburgh to Hawaii to learn a new trade. Eventually they ended up building what turned into their lifelong small business together that helped to support my sister and I as a family. Read more>>
Lisa West
My journey into the world of photography began at the age of twelve, sparked by the moment my father gifted me my first camera. I fell in love with the medium instantly, spending my youth taking modeling shots of my friends, composing formal family portraits of my baby brother, Glenn, and capturing the unique personality of our dachshund mix, Patches. Read more>>
Kya Martin
People often say they’ve ‘always been creative,’ and while it may sound cliché, that’s truly been my story. From the time I was a little girl, I was known as ‘the creative one.’ As I grew older, I found myself drawn to painting, writing, and drawing—anything that allowed me to create. Creativity felt natural to me, but I never imagined it could become a career. Read more>>
Don Galacci
Established by Don Galacci in 1982, Alfredo’s Café has become a staple of the Scranton dining scene for more than four decades. Best known for its “Award-Winning” Pan Pizza, Alfredo’s signature pizza is based on a cherished family recipe that Don refined into the beloved version served today. Read more>>
Machele Kortum
I am in my 32nd year as a HAIR STYLIST. I grew up in a salon environment and always knew that that’s what I wanted to do.. I started shampooing the age of 13 at my aunts salon here in delco and went to hairdressing school straight from high school. I was lucky enough to get a job and learn a lot from my aunt.. Read more>>
Allen Bethea
I grew up in the Bronx and moved to the Poconos while I was in high school. Prior to that I also spent time in Atlanta and Charlotte. When I moved to the Poconos, it felt like I had been dropped into a completely different world. Read more>>
Amy Manson
I’m a studio potter and pottery instructor, and clay has been a huge part of my life for more than twenty years. For nearly two decades I taught pottery in Virginia while building my own work as an artist. Eventually I found myself dreaming about creating something bigger than a studio—a place where people could gather, learn, create, and feel connected. Read more>>
Ersila Arthur
The Cake Vault is an immigrant- and woman-owned, by-appointment-only bakery specializing in bespoke wedding and celebration cakes. We create cakes that are designed to be just as memorable as the moments they celebrate—balancing striking design with exceptional flavor so clients never have to choose between beauty and taste. My journey began long before The Cake Vault. Read more>>
Mark Aizenberg
By education, I am a neuroscientist and I am currently working at University of Pennsylvania. But photography occupies a special place in my heart since I was a kid running around with a small film camera. Read more>>
Lara Alexiou
My first experience with yoga was back in the late 90’s during my college years. It was part of my physical theatre curriculum and called, “movement.” I loved it. Read more>>
Denise Bones
I started cake decorating with a course I took at home through Wilton. I worked at an ice cream store for two years, a bakery for four years, and then my husband, mom, and I opened a bakery in 1990 in Berwyn, PA where I grew up. Since then, we have done nothing but grow year by year. Read more>>
Funke Afolabi-Brown
I was a high-achieving physician, Penn-trained, board-certified in three specialties, building what looked from the outside like a dream academic career, and by every traditional standard, I had ‘made it.’ But at home, I was exhausted. Read more>>
Genamarie Rosado
Growing up in the Poconos, I never expected to build a business here. Like many young creatives, I left home – chasing a fast paced career in New York, then Los Angeles. But when the pandemic hit, I found myself packing up and moving back home to the mountains, unsure of my next plan. Read more>>
Monica Fauntleroy
I started Scorpio Candle Company because I wanted to create unique candle scents and home fragrance products that reflected my creativity and personal style. What began as a passion project quickly grew into a business through the support of family, friends, and customers. Today, I proudly create handmade candles and fragrance products while continuing to grow my brand and expand into new business ventures. Read more>>
Adam Lyons
I was born in New Jersey and lived there until I was about 8 or 9. Then my family moved to a small town in Pennsylvania — I’m talking 75 people small — called Shade Gap when I was in fourth grade. In high school I took as many courses as possible, and that resulted in an opportunity to graduate a year early. Read more>>
Russell Slocum
In 2014, at the age of 65, I stepped away from the business world to make my life-long hobby of painting landscapes a full-time profession. In transitioning to a full-time artist, I retired from a 40-year career in advertising as an agency owner, creative director and copywriter. Read more>>
Moses Olaniyi
At 12 years old, I started making videos on YouTube to share my creativity and personality with the world. I filmed with a mobile device before switching to a good-quality camera. I learned the basics of video editing, sound, and good lighting. Later on, it helped build my confidence and skills behind the camera. Read more>>
Amy Bezek
Through My Lens: The Story Behind Amy Bezek Photography Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, there was always a camera nearby. My mother documented everything. Birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and even ordinary days that might have seemed unimportant at the time. Read more>>
Laura Houck
My name is Laura and I have been the owner of Frosty Falls for the last five years. The previous owners were employers of mine. I was the general manager of one of their restaurants. They bought Frosty Falls across the street from one of their locations and didn’t really give it a lot of love. Read more>>
Jude Buffum
I graduated in 2001 from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, with a BFA in Graphic Arts and Design. After graduating, I began my career working alongside my former Tyler professor Paul Kepple at his studio Headcase Design, mostly designing award-winning books for Broadway shows like Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Avenue Q, and HBO shows like Deadwood and The Sopranos. Read more>>
Kelsey Llewellyn
I’ve been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2015. My very first job was in a chiropractor’s office in New Holland, PA, where I was introduced to the Amish community as clients. That connection stuck with me. Over the following years I worked in chiropractic offices across the Lancaster and York areas and even with WellSpan when they had an employee massage therapy program. Read more>>
