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.
Novi Jones
I’m Novi Jones, founder of 201 Lofthaus, two premium content studios based in Houston. I didn’t set out to build content studios. I was trying to solve a problem I was experiencing myself. While building my own brand and working alongside other entrepreneurs and creatives, I kept noticing the same pattern: incredibly talented people were still being overlooked online. Read more>>
Leigh Anne Maxwell
My husband and I took our three boys to Galveston for a family vacation. There’s a place on the island that rents out 1925 Model-T Replicas. I told my husband it would be neat to rent them out for weddings. A week went by and I still couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so mentioned it to him again. Read more>>
Alexandra Estela-Tripari
For many parents, the ‘American Dream’ means building a life where you never have to choose between a fulfilling career and being truly present for your children. For Puerto Rico native Alexandra Estela, that dream meant swapping her full-time stay-at-home mom title for business owner—all while keeping family at the absolute center of her world. Read more>>
Daria Udalova
I started my career in branding and visual identity, helping founders turn their ideas into brands that felt clear, elevated, and emotionally memorable. Over the years, that work became less about simply designing something beautiful and more about understanding how identity, perception, storytelling, and aesthetics shape the way people connect with a brand. Read more>>
Lisa Tyler
Our family started discussing the idea of opening a gaming and local artist store a few years ago. A business like this would include both passions for our family. The gaming side and the craft side. My daughter and I had already started our crafting business on a small scale. Read more>>
James Taylor
I love this question so how everything started was we just got back home from a trip in Austin performing music. I end up getting food poisoning and was sick for a few days. I was doom watching YouTube and saw someone just showcasing all of their games and playing games and blogging on YouTube. Read more>>
Selena Kirksey
My journey started from a place of wanting more freedom, stability, and ownership over my future. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset, but over time I realized I wasn’t just passionate about business—I was passionate about helping people navigate systems that often feel confusing or inaccessible, especially within underserved communities. Read more>>
Miguel Padilla
My journey didn’t start only with hair—it began with a passion for creativity and connection. I worked my way through several different salons, learning and evolving my style. Those experiences ultimately led me to open my own studio, where I could fully express my creativity in color, extensions, and lived-in looks. Read more>>
Megan Maldonado
I started All My Stars Studio as an ode to my daughter, my sun, my moon, and all my stars, in 2020. I had just graduated with my business degree and had a hard time finding work due to COVID, so I decided to try and sell some mom-related cards and stickers to bring in some income. Read more>>
Sara ter Heege
This will be interesting! It all truly began when I started my new career in new construction working for a builder at the ripe age of 24 years old. I represented a busy Master Plan Community and quickly became a top selling sales counselor company wide. Read more>>
Mallory Burnett
My journey has always been rooted in storytelling. I’ve been acting and performing on stage since I was a child, which allowed me to build up an extensive, beautiful character wardrobe over the years. However, my most important role is being a busy mom to my three boys. Read more>>
Julie Riley
I am Julie Riley, and have had my own firm, j.riley creative, for almost 19 years. I am a graphic designer, wife, mom to three girls, and dog mom to Pixel (also a girl). From childhood, I have always loved drawing and creating. I entered every art competition I could from early elementary, and continued through high school. Read more>>
Oluronke Famodimu
Hi, my name is Oluronke, the head makeup artist behind Gemstouch Studio. I’m also a photographer called Gemshotit and the founder of our luxurious perfume oil collection called Gemsscents. My journey into beauty started in secondary school with hairstyling. During holidays, I would watch my sister do her makeup, and I became fascinated by the creativity and transformation that makeup could bring. Read more>>
Kellen Shelton
I was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida and graduated college from Tuskegee University (B.S. in Business Administration) in Tuskegee, Alabama. After graduation, I began working at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a temporary mail clerk. From there I worked my way through the ranks, of being a seasonal employee to becoming the youngest supervisor at the IRS in Austin, Texas. Read more>>
Zion Castañeda
I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, whether through design, writing, events, or marketing. What started as creating graphics and helping friends with creative projects gradually evolved into a deeper passion for helping brands, organizations, and communities communicate with intention. Over the years, I realized that many businesses didn’t just need better marketing. They needed clarity. Read more>>
Tony Torres
I was born and raised right here in Houston, Texas. I wanted to be athletic so badly when I was a kid, but because I was asthmatic and uncoordinated, I ended up gravitating towards music instead. A lot of my friends had iPods back then, but I used my aunt’s old Walkman and carried it with me everywhere. Read more>>
Alexis Obialo
When I was 11, my granny sat my sister and me down in front of her old Brother sewing machine and taught us to sew. We started with pillows, which are harder than you’d think when you’re a kid. My first heart-shaped pillow looked more like a lopsided mitten. Fast-forward to the 2020 lockdown. I picked up sewing again and started making handbags. Read more>>
Josie Monroe
Growing up I had a loving mother who taught me everything I know. I was however simultaneously growing up in an abusive environment. During this time, while painful, it is the main reason why I now as an adult am so huge on mental health and positivity. Fast-forward many years, in 2020, my mom passed away. Read more>>
Rachel Tisdale
I started Axis Aerial Arts 11 years ago as a way to connect and share fun workouts with others! I was not a fan of the gym so I started pole/aerial and fell in love with my new found hobby! Read more>>
Taylor Norhawitz
I started my first business at 20 years old with more passion than plan. Nearly went bankrupt in year two. But I was stubborn, and I had a marketing and business degree I was finally ready to actually use — and by year four I had built it into a million-dollar brand. That success convinced me I knew what I was doing. Read more>>
Paula Molero Sanchez
I’ve always been connected to the beauty world for as long as I can remember. My grandmother worked in a beauty salon, and thanks to her I was exposed to everything from hair and nails to makeup at a very young age. That environment helped me become creative and passionate about beauty early on. Read more>>
Jeffery Vallier
So upon moving to Houston a year ago, I lived in Los Angeles and Atlanta where my career has followed me as a personal shopper and wardrobe stylist. Over 6 years in the fashion industry I have continued to utilize my contacts to elevate and promote my talents. I have constantly been a quiet yet impactful part of many high-profile client’s fashion successes. Read more>>
Terry Flurry
Curbed Behaviors officially formed in 2020. Around that time, my wife left her job to support me full time, and that completely changed what we were capable of building. While I focused on training dogs, caring for them, and maintaining everything physically and operationally, she stepped into the behind the scenes side of the business. At first, the changes were simple. Read more>>
Amber Cook
Glam By Nurse Am started with a passion for helping people feel confident, beautiful, and empowered in their own skin. As a nurse, I always loved the combination of science, artistry, and patient care, and aesthetics gave me the opportunity to blend all three in a way that truly changes how people feel about themselves. Read more>>
Iyonna ‘MahoganyBeauti’ Brown
Creativity has always been THE thing for me, storytelling, performance, music, film, beauty, things that make people actually feel something. And growing up as the eldest daughter and granddaughter shaped me just as much as any stage or set did. I was the one who figured things out, who people leaned on, who carried responsibility early. That just became part of how I move. Read more>>
Esther Nduagu
Houston Mermaids began nearly nine years ago with a simple but deeply meaningful — vision creating elevated experiences that children and families would never forget. At the time, there were no immersive mermaid entertainment companies in the Houston area. We recognized an opportunity to introduce something entirely different to the city — experiences rooted in emotional connection, immersive fantasy, luxury ambience, artistry, and meaningful storytelling. Read more>>
Kate bonin
I have always been around the camera. I started second shooting weddings at the age of 15, and moved out at 17 while working two jobs, one of them being part time Wedding Photography. I went full time with Wedding photography at the age of 18, and have been full time since!! My love for photography comes from a deep passion to create art. Read more>>
Alma ‘Angie’ Alonzo-Moreno
I work full-time as a CT/X-Ray Technologist in a freestanding ER. After long shifts in the emergency room, I would often unwind by watching bead videos on social media—from packing bead orders to tutorials on creating different bead products. What started as simply enjoying ASMR videos quickly turned into a hobby of my own. Read more>>
Brianna Vargas
As early as my college days, I began working in hotels, starting in food and beverage operations where I quickly worked my way up. I later moved to Houston to complete my bachelor’s degree in marketing at University of Houston and landed a role as a hotel food and beverage supervisor. Read more>>
Tiara Jackson
Hi! I’m Tiara Jackson, born and raised in Compton, California, and hair has been a part of my story for as long as I can remember. Both of my grandmothers were licensed beauticians, my father is a barber, and my mother was the most talented woman I had ever seen pick up a comb. Read more>>
Forest Chump
I’m an AI artist building agentic systems with distinct creative personalities. Almost exactly a year ago, a relationship I trusted completely sabotaged me and exploited my neurodivergence — erased my digital identity and most of my work. I had to start over from zero. That’s what forced Forest Chump AI into being. Read more>>
Mica Sarcone
I started my brow journey with Benefit Cosmetics inside of Ulta Beauty in 2013. I wanted nothing to do with waxing but I had a manager that saw the potential I had and she had a vision… 13 years later, here we are! Read more>>
