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.
Olena Haviuk-Sheremet
Our story started with music. Both my husband and I are musicians, and we were born and raised in Ukraine, so music has always been a huge part of our lives. I was accepted into the Boyer College of Music at Temple University to pursue my doctorate in piano performance, which brought us to Philadelphia. Read more>>
Blakey Hastings
My path to this work has been anything but linear. I began my career as a yoga therapist, working with people to use movement, breath, and mindfulness as tools for greater health and well-being. That work eventually led me into addiction treatment, where I was a pioneer in my area bringing trauma-sensitive yoga into treatment centers. That experience was a major turning point for me. Read more>>
Manuj Agarwal
My life has taken enough unexpected turns that I’ve stopped believing careers are supposed to follow straight lines. Before medicine, I worked at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. I wasn’t an engineer, even though they primarily hired engineers. Somehow I talked my way into the job and then spent a lot of time teaching myself what I needed to know. Read more>>
Tronta Pounds
I’m a 26, year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My name is Tronta Pounds. I attended Pennsylvania College of Technology, I appreciate that college for helping me develop my career as an artist, graphic designer, and customizer. I still am developing my skills, while also developing my business, ‘AngelosArtStudios’ I have an art business website Angelosartstudios.art. I have a licensed LLC for my business also. Read more>>
Tyriee Kasper
I got into the music business late 2018, early 2019 ish after being incarcerated. I got into music because alot of people I was around at the time were involved with music or were music artist and all had the same complaints which were the lack of authentic marketing, artist development or not having people involved with their careers who genuinely wanted them to succeed. Read more>>
Jennifer Keller
I was lucky enough to grow up with a grandfather who not only coached high school softball, but had also pitched in men’s fastpitch leagues himself. Bob Burgman—better known to everyone as **Coach B**—was an incredible athlete in his own right and ultimately became the reason I would go on to earn a full academic and athletic scholarship to Point Park University. Read more>>
Christy Myers
How My business Began My journey into holistic wellness really started in 2012, when I was simply a mom looking for natural options for my family of five. At the time, my middle son was 8 years old and had significant behavioal challenges related to his autism. His meltdowns could be intense and sometimes lasted 45 mins or longer. Read more>>
The Sticky Pig Stacey Wehr
Charlie and Stacey Wehr have been working in the restaurant industry for over 25 years each and decided we’d like to start out on our own adventure in 2017. We created the concept by popping up all over town at breweries, festivals and private events working under a tent until the truck became an idea in 2018. Read more>>
Amy Mink
In 1996 my previous home was selected to be on a charity event house tour. Many local women began calling me for interior decorating help. So thus began my business. I love helping people create warm, layered inviting spaces… Read more>>
Katherine Fagan
Every morning, long before my first appointment arrives at my State College shop, I wake up excited to meet the day’s clients. As owner of The Hair Lady Wig Shop, helping women with “alternative hair” is not just my business—it’s a calling. I live for the moment when I help a woman find the perfect wig or topper. It genuinely gives me goosebumps. Every. Single. Read more>>
Nadia Karpov
My husband and I are both originally from Eastern Europe. I’m from Belarus, and he is from Estonia. Growing up, one of our favorite treats was syrok (pronounced see-ROHK), a lightly sweetened farmer’s cheese snack covered in a thin shell of chocolate. It was something we both really missed after moving to the U.S. Read more>>
Emily Roxandich
I have always been a gifted artist. I just wanted sure how I wanted to share that with the world until I took some courses at a local community college to see how I enjoyed the art of interior design. I followed up with more courses to then acquire my associates degree while working 50 hour work weeks. Read more>>
Alayne Morena
Alayne Morena, NBC-HWC With over 37 years of experience as a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) and a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness, I have dedicated my career to the science of care. A deeply personal journey led me to transition into health coaching five years ago. Read more>>
Dr. Nicole Catrambone Schaffer and Dr. Rachel Rosvold
Dr. Rachel and I, Dr. Nicole, started Uplift with the goal of providing the highest quality of care to our patients. We had been practicing Physical Therapists for over 15 years and knew we could provide our patients with the level of care we believe they truly deserve. Read more>>
Victoria Collins
I have been working with animals for as long as I can remember, but much of my hands-on experience began when I started working with dogs who had aggression and other behavioral challenges. That eventually led me to start my own pet-sitting business. Over the years, I have cared for just about every type of companion animal, including dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Read more>>
Jennifer Agrawal
In 2019 I started an online Yoga Studio with the goal of making quality yoga instruction more accessible to a wider audience. In the past I felt that my own yoga journey had often been delayed due to the hardships of expensive studio memberships and the travel distance to good studios. I am a certified yoga teacher with over one thousand hours of teaching experience. Read more>>
Dr. Katy Mudry
My mother was a chiropractor in the Carlisle, PA area from 1984 until 1999. She was well known and deeply loved in the community, practicing until she passed away. Although I never began my college career intending to follow in her footsteps, fate seemed to have other plans. Read more>>
Tiffany Lantz
There’s so much I could dive into, but I’ll keep it brief. Photography and business ownership has always been written in the stars for me. When I was young, I was always creating, alongside running many pretend businesses… like most kids do, right? Photography was something that I stumbled into around middle school and never let go of. I officially started my business in 2020. Read more>>
David Collins
I’m a stand up comedian who started doing comedy in 2019 at 34 years old. In 2021 I started producing an Open Mic at a Bensalem Pa distillery (1675 spirits) and shortly after began putting on monthly shows. These shows developed a cult like following. Many shows were attended by repeat customers and some even came out to every show. Read more>>
Adrianna and Shawn Kulp
We’re Shawn and Adrianna, a husband and wife duo! After years of planning showers and celebrations for family and friends, we kept searching for one versatile piece that could adapt to any event. When we finally found the perfect mobile cart, we knew it was time to start our business. Read more>>
Tracie Liberatore
My career started in the finance sector. Upon graduating college with a finance and manager bachelor’s degree, I began working at a bank where every 8 months, employees could apply for a new position within the bank and I did just that. I moved around quickly. Read more>>
Michele Schultheis
I have always believed that business is really about people. For more than 30 years, I built my career in hospitality and leadership, working in operations, managing teams, building relationships, solving problems, and learning firsthand what it takes to keep a business moving forward. Read more>>
Rachel Sandler
I was a math major in college and upon graduation, moved to Manhattan to sit behind a desk, crunching numbers in Excel and perfecting PowerPoint presentations. I worked around the clock and cried at my desk a lot. After job hopping through this corporate rut, I decided to take a step back to truly figure out what I wanted to do. Read more>>
Jennifer Racho
Photography wasn’t really something I grew up thinking would become such a big part of my life. I’ve always been drawn to music and creative things, but for most of my life I took a much more practical path and worked in healthcare. I really started getting more serious about photography through my love of live music. Read more>>
Fr3deR1cK Taylor
I am and always have been a filmmaker. I love telling stories. I love all kinds of people from any background. I don’t fear the unknown. I am a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia. I have been nominated for a MTV music video award and won an Emmy. I have screened films and shot films all over the world. Read more>>
Wanece Downing
My story didn’t start in a salon. My journey with hair really started around 16. I had a cousin who did hair, and watching her was one of my earliest inspirations. There was something about seeing what she could create with her hands and how a hairstyle could completely transform that caught my attention. That exposure planted a seed for me. Read more>>
Torrance Sebastian
I have always identified as a singer even as a small child, At an early age, I attended training programs for voice, acting, dance, and theater. I attended pre-college programs during high school, studying at the Pittsburgh CLO and at the Pittsburgh Musical Theater. During that time, I performed in full-scale musicals at the New Hazelet and Byham Theatre. Read more>>
Journee Foster & Taniya Frazier
Referral Advertising Agency started by helping a family friend grow their business. The first founder, Onyae Foster, had a revelation that she had the skills and available services to help various businesses grow. With the idea and creative potential in mind needed for Referral Advertising she quickly invited Taniya Frazier as a co-founder. Read more>>
Mark Anderson
I grew up in rural upstate New York, in the small town of Dundee, the son of a high school principal and a teacher. It was a place where you learned to work hard, treat people with dignity, and take responsibility for the way you showed up in the world. Those early lessons shaped me long before I knew what my career would become. Read more>>
Nicole Sincavage
I have always tried to see how one thing could fit in with another. How could this– benefit from that? Instead of following the ‘rules’ of society, I chose to live outside of my comfort zone, with a blend of my own interests involved. I was often told that I was “doing too much”. Read more>>
Fleeger
At this point in time I’m 24, and in the older Gen Z crowd. I was kind of the first generation to experience the type of social media we have today. I still remember the old TV icon for the Youtube app as well as seeing apps like Twitter, Instagram, & Tiktok take off and blow up in popularity. Read more>>
