Hidden Gems: Local Businesses & Creatives You Should Know

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.

Demont Pope

I’ve learned that where you start doesn’t have to determine where your story ends. My journey began as a young man trying to figure out who I was, what I was capable of, and where I fit in the world. I wasn’t always the person people would have predicted would one day stand on stages speaking to thousands of students, educators, leaders, and professionals. Read more>>

Jazmine Cusirramos

My journey into the beauty industry started over seven years ago with a simple passion for making women feel beautiful and confident. What began with learning and perfecting my craft as a lash artist eventually grew into something much bigger than I could have imagined. Read more>>

Philemon Bazelais

It definitely wasn’t a smooth it’s been a roller coaster ride to get to where I’m at now from moving to a new state to loosing my Triller contract blindly not knowing how I’d be able to pay my bills to being mentally drained from social media burn outs and feeling lost Read more>>

Kelly Young-Silverman

I love where I am today because I have so many things I am passionate about being: a children’s book author, screenwriter and filmmaker, educator, mom, and wife. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be an actor. I went to college for theatre, and after graduating, I interned at Actor’s Express. Read more>>

Harold Odister

I started my passion for BBQ in the parks of Atlanta so for over 25 years I gathered up a host of friends to entertain on the banks of the Chattahoochee River or Piedmont Park for my now World Famous BBQ. I worked in sales and when the pandemic hit , like many, I was laid off and receive an excellent severance package. Read more>>

Haley Mack

My work is centered around entertainment, creativity, and building a brand that represents all sides of who I am. I’m a rapper, model, dancer, actress, and content creator, and I’m passionate about being able to express myself through different forms of entertainment. Although I only began making music at the end of December 2025, I’ve already been able to make significant moves as an artist. Read more>>

Ashley Ausburn

Hello! My name is Ashley, and I’m one of three artists behind Fateful Creations. I also manage the shop’s social media and marketing. The shop’s other two creators, Shaun and Casey, are also based in Georgia, and we run the shop together. All three of us have been best friends since middle school! Read more>>

Purcell Hamilton

DJ PJ (aka PJ Productionz) Tracy, California native is a Music Producer/DJ, based in between the Fresno Central Valley & Bay Area bringing a raw uncut West Coast sound rooted in hip hop, R&B/Soul hyphy, Rnbass and street-gritty inspired production built for knock, bounce, and replay value. Influenced by producers such as Dr. Read more>>

Sydney Dean

My start in fashion came from the women in my immediate environment seeing me. Them taking the time to teach me, invest in me, and believe in me has hoisted me up to where I currently am today. My very first run in with the world of fashion was when I was about nine years old, and found my grandmothers sewing kit. Read more>>

Karla Simpson

So, I’ve been a content creator for close to two years now but my love for books goes back much further in high school and throughout my undergraduate years, I was an avid reader, especially when it came to mystery and thriller novels. However, after college, I slowly fell out of the habit. Read more>>

Monique Hyman

I always believed in God and I did a lot of spiritual soul-searching my whole life. I always believed in Jesus, but he was not the Lord of my life, and I never knew it what it meant to be free in Christ or to have the freedom of the salvation that Christ to brings. Read more>>

Torre Sumpter

Beaded by Torre started from something very personal to me — my love for creativity and being able to create something beautiful with my own hands. I’ve always enjoyed putting colors, styles, and little details together, and making beads gave me a way to turn that creativity into something I could share with others. Read more>>

Valerie Phillips

In 2018 I knew I wanted more out of life, but I wasn’t exactly sure what road to take. I was working a job that I didn’t particularly like, and I was also trying to break into acting, but that wasn’t panning out either at the time. I was happily married to a wonderful man who unfortunately passed away in 2021. Read more>>

Aaliyah Simms

My journey began as a curious kid with a passion for reading and a devotion to the depths of my imagination. The literature I consumed fueled the mass, boldness, and luminance of what my daily visualizations eventually evolved into. Read more>>

jennifer zarzuela

I started creating my own path in film while attending Brooklyn College, making short films and assisting in any way I could on as many projects as possible. I wanted to be around the process—to learn, to observe, and to understand every part of what it took to bring an idea to life. Read more>>

Rianna DeHart

Growing up, I was known as the drama queen in my family. Always performing, sometimes fake crying of course since I’m the little sister (aka my original actor training and basically my foundation for crying on cue). I loved trying out film camp during elementary school and theatre camp during middle school summers. Read more>>

Chanda Moore

My journey to Swing Chic Foundation really grew out of the intersection of several parts of my life—education, entrepreneurship, golf, and a desire to create opportunities for people who are too often overlooked. I spent nearly two decades in education, including working with students with different learning needs. At the same time, I was building Swing Chic Golf, my women’s golf apparel brand. Read more>>

Chief GodSun

My story started in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, long before there was a Chief GodSun. I learned early that nothing gets handed to you. You either put in the work, figure things out, or get left behind. Sports was my first real introduction to that mindset\. I was a three-sport athlete who eventually played college and professional arena football. Read more>>

Ana Salas

I think my story really started with becoming a mom. I’ve always been a creative person and I have a background in graphic design and photography, which eventually led me to becoming a professional family and newborn photographer. Read more>>

Buddy Jackson

Hey!! my name is buddy and i’m a nyc brooklyn based violinist. i’ve been to many prestigious schools in nyc such as jazz at lincoln center, mannes prep, and julliard(for a few classes). Read more>>

Whitney Jones

My story began when I lost my father to gun violence at just 9 years old. My younger brother was only 3. My dad was my best friend and such a big part of my life, so losing him changed everything. Read more>>

Miles Jordan

I’ve been a big dancer and part of the underground music scene since I was young. When I went to school in Athens, Georgia, I would frequently drive down to Atlanta each weekend so I could lose myself in raves. Read more>>

Jovonnie Cox

I’ve achieved the plaques, the AVN chart-toppers, and the magazine covers, and I will always be proud of pioneering a path in the LGBTQ+ entertainment space. But for me, the ultimate goal has always been about building a lasting legacy. Read more>>

Mariah Jones

I feel like my story has had a lot of different chapters, especially for me only being 20. I’ve always loved challenging myself and seeing what I’m capable of. I started in sports with wrestling and eventually found boxing, which became something I really connected with. I love competing, improving and pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do. Read more>>

Tyrus Lytton

I was that 11-year-old kid whose Batman drawing won Atlanta’s Power 99 radio contest for concert tickets—the ones your sister desperately wanted for that boy band everyone was dying to see perform at Six Flags: New Kids on the Block. My origin story didn’t involve tragedy or mystery; it was just a kid with pencil and crayon. Read more>>

Lais Da Silva Sabino

I’m originally from a small town in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil, and I come from a family of non-creatives, so growing up, a career in the arts never felt like the most obvious path. But when I discovered production design, something immediately clicked. Read more>>

Brandon Huggins

My journey with photography started as something I genuinely enjoyed, but over time it became much bigger than just taking pictures. I’ve always been drawn to creativity and the way a photograph can capture a feeling, a moment, or even tell a story without saying a word. Read more>>

Mekhi Woods

When I was growing up I always had a hard time figuring out what I was going to do. I always knew I wanted to be an entertainer it was just hard to see that as a reality and something to share. I mean I did live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 14 years, it wasn’t the biggest market to entertain in. Read more>>

Tyla “Tye” Cabana

My true creative journey started young, around the age of 10-11. It began with a friend of mine showing me how to make YouTube videos, editing & recording on phone, which lead to me getting into Skits / Gaming videos / a little bit of everything. Read more>>

Patricia H. Ayala

I’m a Venezuelan-Spanish photographer. I was born in Venezuela, and due to the political situation, I had to leave when I was 25 years old. I first lived in Mexico City for about 4 years and then moved to the US in 2019. Ever since I can remember, photography has been part of my life. Read more>>

Nisha Kakadia

I come from a family of storytellers. My dad has a photo album from every year of his life. My mom is an artist and a natural community builder. She can make anything interesting and convince anyone to join her. Growing up watching them I absorbed two things without realizing it: the drive to document and to connect. Read more>>

Andromeda ‘Andi’ Faber

Before I knew I was queer, I joined a theatre troupe in my small town. I didn’t know why, but I felt othered at school among my peers. For some reason I always found myself on the outside looking in. I knew I was different for some reason, but I couldn’t figure out why. Read more>>

Gregory Palmer

My journey has been shaped by service, resilience, relationships, and a willingness to keep evolving. I’m a U.S. Army veteran, and many of the values I learned through military service—discipline, leadership, accountability, and taking care of people—have stayed with me throughout my professional and entrepreneurial career. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work across human resources, staffing, training, consulting, insurance, and business development. Read more>>

Georgette Young

My journey started in 2017 when I moved from Cape Cod, MA to Atlanta, GA. During that time, I relocated due to my youngest sibling passing away and wanted a change of scenery. When I got to Atlanta, I was amazed by the culture and how the majority of people that I encountered pursued non-traditional jobs in fields like, music, art, sports, etc. Read more>>

Dave Kelly

I am a professional speaker, trainer, author, coach, and consultant and I love what I do. It was not what I thought I would be doing when I was growing up – I wanted to be an actor. I majored in Theatre at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and expected to pursue the bright lights of Broadway. That all changed when I was 16. Read more>>

Lacye A. Brown

Dr. Apples basically exists because someone asked me a question I wasn’t prepared for. I was a sculptor and had created a solo exhibition featuring more than 99 pieces of art, including custom dolls and a three-foot-tall sculpture of a wizard. During the show, someone looked at the wizard and asked me his name. I didn’t have one. So, off the cuff, I said, “Dr. Read more>>

Alyssa Chavez

Yeah, of course! Let’s see, I don’t know where to start. Well, I grew up overseas in Bolivia for more than half of my life. Bolivia is considered a developing country, so growing up we didn’t have a lot of money compared to others. So naturally, I wanted to live somewhere that had more opportunities, and I found myself wanting to pursue “the American Dream”. Read more>>

Jonesti Steele-Averitte

Our story is one of love, resilience, and learning to navigate life together. My husband, Hareem, and I are both completely blind. We each lost our sight after experiencing separate, violent attacks when we were young adults. Read more>>

Bluff City

Music has been a part of both of our lives since we were young. We both grew up singing and always had the vision of being part of a group one day. Years later, we both ended up in Atlanta and connected, not even realizing at first how close our families already were. Once we started making music together, everything happened naturally. Read more>>

LeRoy McLaurin

My story didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a gift, a love for creativity, and a vision that was much bigger than fashion alone. For a long time, I had this idea of creating an entire production company called RichStylz Productions. Read more>>

Michael Riley

I was born in the vibrant city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised amidst the artistic influences of Atlanta, Georgia. My hands found a pen before my memory really started keeping track. Art class was the only hour of school I actually cared about. It took years of finished drawings (and a lot of failed ones) before I figured out a system that worked. Read more>>

John Thomas

I started JayTee RC more than 15 years ago simply because I had a genuine passion for radio-controlled cars and wanted to share that excitement with other people. What began as creating videos, reviewing vehicles, testing products, racing, building and attending RC events gradually grew into a large online community and opportunities to work with some of the biggest brands in the RC industry. Read more>>

Shannon Shinholster

At first learn how to crochet for my grandmother, when I was just a young girl, I used my first sewing machine and home class at the age of 13.And that’s where I learned my true passion of sewing. Ive always upcycled clothing that I had in my closet. Read more>>

Abigail Lange Mack

I moved to Atlanta in 2013 from South Carolina. I was working full-time, but I’m also a licensed cosmetologist, and I wanted to start my braiding business on the side. That’s when I really learned the importance of social media and started taking it seriously — I used it to advertise, bring in new clients, and I began building a following that way. Read more>>

Troy Higgins

My story really starts with my parents. My mother wore those classic salt-and-pepper cuts, and my dad was always in the barbershop keeping his Big Daddy Kane box sharp. So barbering was around me from an early age. Read more>>

Mildred ‘Millie’ Meza

I grew up watching my mom crochet. She would make things for my sister and me—blankets, beanies, scarves, and all sorts of little handmade pieces. She tried to teach me how to crochet when I was younger, but I wasn’t interested in learning at the time. Read more>>

Faith Hobbs

Last time I had the chance to interview with VoyageATL, I was operating Open Your Eyes Merch in 2017-2018. From launching t-shirts and participating in vendor events to bringing awareness to a rare auto-immune disease called, uveitis, which is when your immune system attacks the uvea part of the eye, I have since transformed Open Your Eyes Merch into Organic Hydroponics. Read more>>

Jelani Bell

I have always loved using humor to grow connections with people. I was always known as the short, dramatic, funny kid with an afro. Back in 2013, my sister and I created a YouTube comedy sketch poking fun at the stereotypes about the differences between the way Black parents and white parents raised their children. Read more>>

Lance Hinton

I started out simply loving music and what it could do for people. What began with DJing eventually grew into something much bigger. As STUNNA, I started building my name throughout the NJ nightlife scene while I was still in high school. Over time, I realized my strength wasn’t just playing music—it was understanding the entire experience beyond the DJ booth. Read more>>

Meredith Hope

I took an unusual path into the arts. I went from government, to corporate, to creative entrepreneurship. I was born in North Carolina, but I have lived on both coasts and spent a lot of time abroad. I served in the military, then built a career in automotive finance in the Washington, D.C., area. Read more>>

Jerusalem Brown

Art and music were literally my first loves. When I was younger, I imagined myself doing something creative professionally, but I simply couldn’t find a viable path into either field at the time. Read more>>

Courtney Begley

My name is Courtney. I’m a travel advisor, boy mom, mental health advocate, and autism mom who loves sharing the real-life mix of motherhood, travel, and everything in between. As a travel advisor, I specialize in helping families create memorable vacations, with a special passion for Disney, Universal, cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and autism-friendly travel. Read more>>

Vanessa Schrils

Being from Curaçao has definitely shaped the way I see beauty. Growing up surrounded by so much vibrant colors, culture, and individuality taught me to appreciate beauty in different forms. I think it’s also given me a strong sense of identity, which has carried over into my artistry. I’m not afraid to be different, take up space, or create my own lane. Read more>>

Trenton Hawkins

My story really starts with my love for music. Growing up, music was always a big part of my life. I grew up in church, participated in band programs throughout school, and eventually realized that music was something I wanted to pursue beyond just being a hobby. Read more>>

Justin Kent

I grew up in a small town in Indiana, and throughout my younger years, I always found a way to entertain people. Whether that be goofing off in school, making my family laugh, or whatever. I loved making people laugh. It probably comes from my incessant need to be liked. Read more>>

Tsa-Hye Cloud

I was born and raised right here in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up primarily in Southwest Atlanta, also known as the S.W.A.T.S. Growing up in this part of Atlanta taught me quite a few things, but the lessons that stood out the most were to always bet on myself, be resourceful, and maintain a go getter mentality. Read more>>

James Bogans III

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember, although for most of my life I didn’t necessarily understand that creativity was the thing connecting everything I did. I started writing and recording music when I was young. Over the years, that expanded into audio engineering, video production, editing, graphic design, writing, speaking, teaching, and eventually publishing books. Read more>>

Chef Hank Reid

Food Is the Pathway. Community Is the Purpose. Well-Being Is the Outcome. Lettum Eat! Inc. began in 2019 with a simple belief that continues to guide us today: Food has the power to strengthen communities. After more than three decades in the food and restaurant industry, Chef Hank Reid began looking for a way to use his culinary experience to serve others. Read more>>