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.
Precious Hill
After spending 10 years working in retail management, I got to a point where I knew I couldn’t keep doing that long-term. The long hours, holidays, and lack of work-life balance made me realize I wanted something different for myself and my future. My journey into dog grooming started from a personal experience. Read more>>
Sterling Sherwood
In January of 2025, my father passed away. Losing a parent, especially the first one, changes something in you. It really made me step back and reflect on my life and what I was doing with it. Read more>>
Carmine Steffens
I started the Happy Hearts Foundation in 2023 when I was 15 years old, in memory of my grandparents. My grandmother, RoseMarie Bonomo, died of pancreatic cancer in 2020, and my grandfather, Carmine Bonomo, died of a heart attack in 2000. The work we do honors them and the lives they lived. Read more>>
Tyler White
In many ways I was born into Chiropractic. I’m from what we call a Chiropractic Family; my uncle served as my chiropractor from birth and was largely infulential in my pursuit of this calling. Growing up my entire extended family would have our spines checked after Sunday dinner. Read more>>
Pedro Cepero Yee
My story is twofold, beginning as a child from a home with domestic violence. At six years old I made the decision to become a Kung Fu Teacher, so that I could teach women how not to get beat up by men. Read more>>
Kellie Johnson
I started my career being the chair, working in a salon where I quickly realized I didn’t just love doing hair — I was passionate about the business itself. I eventually purchased the salon and after 3 years of building and refining my vision, I sold it and took a leap of faith and created something of my own. Read more>>
Kayla Alter
Long before I ever studied Interior Design or launched my own business, I was redesigning spaces for a much more personal reason—I was trying to feel safe. As a child, I experienced trauma that left me searching for a sense of stability, comfort, and control. In a world that often felt unpredictable, I turned to the one place that was truly mine: my bedroom. Read more>>
Lily Hoffman
I’m a pharmacist by training, but my path into wellness consulting really evolved from seeing a gap in traditional healthcare. I spent years working closely with medications, and while they are incredibly valuable, I began to notice that many patients were missing the bigger picture- how lifestyle, nutrition, supplements, and overall wellness all connect with medication outcomes. Read more>>
Anthony Stagliano Jr
For over 30 years I worked in the Hotel restaurant industry. In the height of my career I decided to step out of the industry and start a small sales and marketing company. Read more>>
Tom Citro
Our family construction and investment company was built on more than just experience—it was built on purpose. With over 15 years in the construction industry, I have developed the skills, knowledge, and work ethic needed to create quality spaces, but my true motivation has always been deeper than that. Read more>>
Keun S Kim
I started my wealth management career with an internship at Merril Lynch. While I was working at a part time at a liquor store, a gentleman used to come in and buy the finest wines. He always used a Merril Lynch credit card to make the purchases. Read more>>
Jonathan Soto
I was raised in Paterson, New Jersey, in a family where faith and service were a way of life. My parents founded our church in 1982, and from an early age I was shaped by both the message of the Gospel and a deep commitment to the city of Passaic. Read more>>
Nakia Watson
Our journey started with a shared passion for beauty, education, and creating opportunities not just for ourselves—but for others entering the industry. As licensed cosmetologists and educators, Nakia Watson (myself), Kelli Lamb, and Sonya Rice each built our own individual paths, gaining experience behind the chair, in the classroom, and in business. Read more>>
Kelly Baker
I’ve always been deeply drawn to psychology, philosophy, and, most importantly, to people. From a young age, I felt things very deeply—I was a highly sensitive child, and that shaped how I experienced the world. I developed a strong sense of empathy and a desire to help others feel seen, understood, and not alone in their struggles. Read more>>
Nicole Colella
It was July of 2021 and I decided to join a subscription box plan. The very first box that showed up contained a full-sized tarot deck. Curious as to what it was about, I went online and found a book to purchase and began studying. Up until that point, I never had a Tarot Reading or even knew what the cards meant. Read more>>
Lissette Berrios
One evening during an organization meeting (not held by my own) there was a change that led to the removal of the cultural group. I was surprised and disappointed that one of the main importance of that organization agreed to take away part of their mission. That change gave me the fuel which sparked me to build a nonprofit that will commit to its mission. Read more>>
Nicole Neff
I got into real estate because I was drawn to the idea of building something of my own while helping people through really big life moments. I got my start in the Philadelphia market. Read more>>
Sean McFadden
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Brownsville to be exact. I take a lot of pride in that because Brownsville is not a place people often associate with young Black men going on to earn a master’s degree, lead organizations, and dedicate their lives to community work. Read more>>
Luther Lockard
My name is Luther Lockard, Posture and Movement Coach, LMT. I have evolved from being in the Corporate world as a Risk and Loss Control Consultant for 18 years. My career for the last 28 years started as a massage school teacher and Licensed Massage therapist, which evolved into being a medical massage therapist until my present day focus as a Posture and Movement Coach. Read more>>
Laura Leahy
I come from a long line of what I often jokingly refer to as “drug dealers.” My paternal great-grandfather was a patent medicine man in the early 1900s, distributing patented remedies across the globe—long before regulation blurred the line between medicine and marketing. Every generation since remained in that world. My great-grandfather, both grandfathers, both parents—and their siblings—were all pharmacists…except me. I broke the mold. Read more>>
Dean Rice
After college at Penn State, I spent a decade working in corporate America as a manager for Aramark, Citi Bike and Amazon. My parents own a small strip mall in Ocean Township. In 2019, one of the tenants decided to leave, so my mom, Myong, an immigrant from Korea, decided to open a food hall. Read more>>
Octavio Cuenca Maldonado
My journey with the National Hispanic Latino Association of the Deaf (NHLAD) began in Fall 2023, when I was invited by a past president and co-founder to get involved for the first time. NHLAD, founded in 2019, is a national organization focused on supporting and empowering Deaf Hispanic and Latino communities. Read more>>
Emily Steen
I’ve loved theatre for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I was writing and directing original plays and musicals during recess all through elementary and middle school. I remember my classmates grating against how much I made them rehearse during recess. Read more>>
Michelle Waters
I didn’t get into real estate by accident; I built my way here with intention, consistency, and a lot of behind-the-scenes work that most people never see. Before real estate, I was a 911 dispatcher. It was high-pressure, emotional work that taught me how to stay calm in chaos, communicate clearly, and solve problems quickly, skills I still use every single day with my clients. Read more>>
Brittany Burton
Me and my mother have shopped second hand our entire lives. She taught me the ways of a good deal! This knowledge mixed with my artistic passions and I was always drawing and creating as a child. I wrote in my 5th grade year book that I want to be a fashion designer when I grew up. Read more>>
Spike Enzweiler
I grew up in a naturally beautiful and economically diverse community in Northern Kentucky. I graduated Oberlin College with a degree in creative writing, then taught English in Germany for a year. Read more>>
Brianna Brunner
I’ve always been an entrepreneur. As a teenager, I started a tuxedo business in my basement renting prom tuxedos to my senior class. Then, in college, after experiencing some major life events, my life changed radically, and I knew I wanted to focus my energy on something purpose driven. Read more>>
Debra Levy
I’m Debra Levy, a New Jersey–based permanent makeup artist, paramedical tattoo specialist, and permanent jewelry artist. I’m board-certified through the American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM Gold Program), a Professional Tattooist Member of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists and a member of North Jersey Chamber of Commerce. My journey into this work is deeply personal. Read more>>
Aahnesti MendezAlcantara
Well, I was in a pursuit of creating a greater life for me and my children. I was working as a certified nurse assistant at Monmouth Care Center and although I absolutely loved what I did I knew that I was still exchanging time for money. Read more>>
Neisrein Mahmoud
A Story of Purpose, Partnership, and People Some businesses begin with a plan. Ours began with a purpose. Neisrein and Khaled did not start their journey in healthcare. Both graduated from engineering school at Rutgers University and built their early careers in corporate America. Read more>>
Tyler Hess
I started The Baked Bear (Pier Village) in 2021. Following college at PSU I joined the military and served as an Engineering Officer out of San Diego, CA. After my time in the service I worked for Nestle in various roles, while simultaneously getting my MBA. Read more>>
Amanda Kowalski
I actually started college planning to become a teacher, but something never fully felt aligned. Toward the end of my college career, I began exploring other options and discovered aesthetics. Which, at the time, I didn’t even realize you could go to school specifically for. I decided to take a chance, and I enrolled in aesthetics school at 23. Read more>>
Kate Ringwood
I started my journey of becoming an eating disorder therapist for athletes because of my own battle with an eating disorder as a runner. I have been running since age 10 and it was such a big piece of my eating disorder in both positive and negative ways. I became burnt out and dreaded practices. Read more>>
Nina Kaufmans
I did not seek out to become a business owner, what I tried to do is to close the gaps in providing quality, accessible, affordable, evidence-based trauma treatment from the qualified, trained professional. Working at the hospital, I saw many clients experiencing trauma, lacking follow-up providers, and therapists in the community whom they would see once they finish their healing at the hospital level. Read more>>
Julie Vo
I took over what is now JADE Nails & Spa in July 2023, when it was still called Nature Boutique Salon—a small space focused mostly on skincare, with only a few nail services. The moment I walked in, I saw something others might have missed. Located in a busy shopping center, it had potential—but I never imagined how far that vision would take me. Read more>>
Kimberly Boulos
My entrance into this business started in stadiums filled with 40,000+ fans as a pro soccer player. Read more>>
Allison McNeice
We were both police officers (Jim – Moonachie PD and Allison – Montvale PD) and retired after 25 years of service. Being coffee shop owners is our second career! We have always loved coffee and decided to do something in retirement that would also benefit our younger son, Joe, who had special needs (our LLC name is ‘A Cup with Joe’). Read more>>
Mikhail Brown
After graduating as Valedictorian from Academy Charter High School, in Fall of 2008, I started at Long Island University C.W. Post. During this time, I began cutting hair in the University’s bathroom for additional income. After graduating from Long Island University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Ed, the wanted a form of financial independence. Read more>>
Amanda Webber
Let’s just say the salon world isn’t all pretty and fun, a lot of salons are negatively charged and have staff that almost act as toxic as your ex. No shade, do you, but I did not enjoy having my appearance, my words, my laughter, my life being judged and spoken about behind my back. Read more>>
Lindsey Capelli
A week into my freshman year of high school, my mother sat me down and gently asked, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” I remember feeling caught off guard. I was still trying to figure out my locker combination and find my place, not map out my future. Read more>>
Courtney Lares
My journey started by helping my best friend build a website for his business, and that experience sparked a passion I did not expect. What began as one project quickly grew into a deeper calling to help businesses strengthen their presence, bring their vision to life, and grow with confidence. Read more>>
Kelli Aceto
Audubon Peer to Peer Aid was initially started by Steve Radie and I soon after jumped in to help him with his idea to bridge a gap. Our initial plan was to be the bridge for people in need and the people that could help. Read more>>
Rand Taylor
More than a decade ago, I, alongside my son Alec Taylor, established Industrial Sustainability Group (ISG) dba The Fuel Ox® here in New Jersey with a clear mission- to provide consumers nationwide (and now, globally) access to high-quality fuel additives that improve efficiency while cutting down on dangerous emissions harmful to humans, animals, and plants. Read more>>
Grizel Ubarry
For over four decades, I worked as a community development practitioner supporting nonprofit organizations engaged in revitalizing economically marginalized communities. My work focused on strengthening local capacity, advancing equitable development, and supporting community-driven solutions to social and economic challenges. During my early college years and after graduation, I worked both in the nonprofit sector and in government. Read more>>
