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.
Tony L. Simpson
Well, my interest in music began when I met Mr. Raymond Earl of the legendary Funk Band ‘Instant Funk’. He was dating my older sister and during our meet he noticed my interest and began teaching me how to play and gave me my very first bass…don’t know what ever happened to that bass..anyhow, moving on.. Read more>>
Tory Gates
I feel like my career and life have been a long series of journeys. My initial goals were pretty simple, but over the years, new opportunities arose, and my creativity got the chance to be used in many other areas. I never thought I would have a career of more than 40 years in radio, and still be in the business. Read more>>
Miranda Waldvogel
I was always a movie lover. Movie nights were a regular family activity growing up: We’d take a trip to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video once a week and pick up a film to watch. Some of my earliest memories includes renting Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS or watching the 1925 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and watching it with my family. Read more>>
Eric Tonzola
I’ve always been a creative person, but for many years my career was centered around graphic design. Working as a designer taught me how to communicate visually, solve problems, and pay attention to the smallest details. While I enjoyed that work, I eventually realized I wanted to spend more of my time creating something that felt more personal. Read more>>
James Sparrow
I started doing music at 13 I don’t take it serious until I went upstate and when I came home I dropped a video and caught buzz in the city, also I have a lot of family and friends who are either gone or doing life and my story keeps them alive and brings the world into the real life and trenches of Pittsburgh Read more>>
Mike McNeil
I went to Penn State for undergrad and graduated from Drexel University with a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2017. I worked in an out-patient clinic in NJ for the next 2 years. Then, I began work as a travel physical therapist, wanting to see more of the country and gain experience in multiple different settings. Read more>>
Nancy Laverde
My photography journey began when I was a stay-at-home mom when my second baby was born (now I have three beautiful children; 2 girls 14 & 12 and a 5 year old boy) looking for a creative outlet while being there for my kids. After leaving my job as a paralegal, I began decorating my home and sharing those photos on Instagram. Read more>>
Becca Weller-Wessner
My love for flowers started when I was a little girl, cutting blooms from my Mom’s garden and making bouquets for the people I loved (A summer tradition I still carry on to this day!) A few years after earning my Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, I started my first creative business, Maefly Design Co., where I spent five years creating hand-lettered signs and paintings that celebrated weddings, first houses, beloved pets, and life’s biggest milestones. Read more>>
Jami Mirandou
If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would own a business, I would have said absolutely not. I planned to spend my career in education. I loved the classroom, I loved working with teachers, and I loved serving in school leadership. Every role shaped me and taught me something different. Read more>>
Jami Lausch
For Jami, massage therapy has never been just a career—it has been a calling. I became a licensed massage therapist in 2011 after discovering a passion for helping others feel their best through therapeutic touch. Read more>>
Frzy
Harvey “Frzy” Daniels is a 2018 Emmy Award winner for his collaboration with WQED/PBS on his hip-hop version of Mr. Roger’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and on November 1, 2023, simultaneously released his second and third albums titled Popularity and Success. Read more>>
Nitin Khanna
From Pennsylvania Beginnings to a National Life Sciences Mission My story began long before I ever became a founder, CEO, investor, board member, or pilot. It began with responsibility. I lost my father when I was 15. At that age, most kids are thinking about school, friends, sports, and what comes next. Read more>>
Lisa Brolis
Before embroidery, I earned a degree from Rutgers Business School and worked in corporate accounting. I’ve always been drawn to work that requires patience and attention to detail, so in many ways, embroidery wasn’t as different from accounting as it might seem. Both are built one small step at a time, with the details coming together to create the bigger picture. Read more>>
Alexandra Lauch
My journey into pet grooming wasn’t something I had planned—it started with an unexpected opportunity. When I was 19, I was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan with the 131st Transportation Company. Before we left, a representative visited our unit to talk about free educational opportunities available to us. One of those programs was dog grooming, and on a whim, I decided to enroll. Read more>>
Lisa Zahn
For 17 years, I pursued a career in public relations and brand marketing; building brands and shaping the stories behind some of the country’s most recognizable consumer companies, including Campbell’s, HomeGoods, American Eagle Outfitters, Clairol, and Jif peanut butter. From the outside, I had built the career I’d always worked toward and loved the work and climbing the corporate ladder. Read more>>
Ryan Moser
I grew up in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia in a large, loving family with all of the opportunity in the world, but I was rebellious kid with a very independent streak. After years of being in the youth system of Pennsylvania.- foster homes, group homes, detention, youth prison- I turned my life around 23 years old when my son was born. Read more>>
Tyler Ross
My journey in the events industry started when I was 15 years old. After attending a wedding and seeing the impact a great DJ could have on the energy of a room, I became fascinated with the idea of creating experiences through music. Read more>>
Eamon Knittel
I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 1994 after 1 year of wrestling in high school my senior year. I was always involved in the martial arts as child amongst playing other sports such as soccer, baseball etc. One of my martial arts instructors who was a neighbor of mine, showed me the Gracie In Action tapes and I immediately wanted to learn how to grapple. Read more>>
Remember Tony
So my story with music actually didn’t start with me as the artist — it started with me behind the scenes. I went to school for business, and right out of college my close friend and I started managing an artist we really believed in. Read more>>
Akeya Kester
Growing up, I witnessed many members of my community struggle with substance use and the lasting effects of trauma. As a child, I didn’t fully understand the underlying causes, but I could clearly see the impact these challenges had on the lives of my friends and their families. Even then, I knew I wanted to help in some way. Read more>>
Amanda Olson
I took my first Yoga class at the local library because it was free. Little did I know that this would be a life changing moment for me. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I wasn’t even sure how to describe it but I knew I needed more of this in my life. Read more>>
Richie Treadway
My origin story is slightly different than the traditional tale. What started as a dream came to fruition because I found my village and my desire to serve those within it, but I digress. I didn’t follow the “traditional path”, graduate highschool, go to college and settle down. I was born and raised in the Baltimore, Annapolis Area. Read more>>
Yis Leibowitz
I’ve always wanted to work outside. I started in Louisiana over 10 years ago working at a market garden and urban farm. This led to wwoof(ing), the world wide organization for organic farming. Read more>>
Carol Weis
My Dad was into photography as a hobby, so I grew up with a camera in my hands. I took Art in college with Photography as a minor, and fell in love with photography. I felt and still do feel , it’s ‘ instant Art’. The idea of capturing a moment in time and preserving it is very meaningful to me. Read more>>
Amber Miller-Garlinger
The Comfort Project Foundation was founded in September 2025 out of two deeply personal experiences that shaped a lasting commitment to care, compassion, and support for others during life’s most difficult moments. The first was the loss of my grandfather, a man who lived a bold and faithful life of service. Read more>>
Don Tomino
It all started 35 years ago, when I decided that I wanted to be a professional photographer, but I had no idea how to get started. The photographer who photographed my brother’s wedding told me about an organization called triangle professional photographers Association. It was made up of photographers from Pennsylvania Ohio and West virginia. Read more>>
Kathy Monte
This is my 15th year in the event planning and Floral Design industry I started by designing my nieces wedding and have never looked back. The first number of years I just did wedding planning and added Florals in at year three. It made sense to do both as I was onsite all day. Read more>>
