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.
Danni Small
I’ve always had an eye for photography, and enjoyed the art. My love for photography really started over 10 years ago in high school, where I took photography and photojournalism classes. Though my assignments in photojournalism, I met my late mentor, Jeff Billings while photographing a basketball game. Read more>>
Rachel Pierce
My name is Rachel Pierce and I own Studio P, a private personal training studio for women in Kansas City. I have worked in the fitness industry for the last 14 years from collegiate strength and conditioning to corporate wellness, and it wasn’t until I began personal training six years ago that I realized there was a massive gap in the industry for women. Read more>>
Melody Alexander
I fell in love with writing as a child, so when I decided to become a writer as an adult, I thought the only way I could do it was if I became a reporter. That resulted in me going to school to become a journalist. Read more>>
Katherine de la Cruz
My husband, Gustavo, and I started Pupachinos when we adopted our youngest pup. She is full of energy and annoyed our older dogs. We honestly thought it couldn’t be too hard to watch a few pups! Boy were we wrong, pet care is really involved full time work! We started our company with 5 dogs hanging out in our house as we worked other jobs. Read more>>
Kevin Frantze
I started bussing tables at Margarita’s in Martin City at 15 during the summer after my freshman year of high school. Until that point, I had been filled with dread about life, because almost everyone I knew had a 9-5 job. I hated getting up early, but I loved being up late, socializing, and couldn’t really sit still. Suddenly, I saw the path for me. Read more>>
Lutisia Stamps
Lutisia is a certified life coach and children’s author with a driving passion for helping others. Her most profound belief is that ‘kindness keeps the world turning,’ and she has dedicated her life to spreading that message. Lutisia has spent many years caring for children of all ages. Read more>>
Adam Rogers
Swanson Reed was founded by my Grandfather, Joe. He had been working as an Engineer in Independence MO, and recently got a job in Texas, with General Motors. His experience as an engineer in MO and TX led to his establishment of Reed and Co. In 1984. Years later, in 2008, my partner Damian Smyth and I decided to relaunch the practice. Read more>>
JARED BABER
I started Holistic Massage K.C with a simple vision — to create a healing space where people could reconnect with their bodies, release built-up tension, and find balance in a fast-paced world. My journey began with a deep passion for holistic wellness and the belief that true healing involves the mind, body, and spirit. Read more>>
Amanda Bridges
I actually never planned to own or operate my own private practice! I began my career as a therapist doing trauma treatment with individuals in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections and I later continued my career with the Missouri Department of Corrections. After starting a family and having my son, I decided it was time for a change. Read more>>
David Prosser
My business got started a little over 5 years ago when my mom asked me to come back home to help take care of my dad who is dying from cancer. I started my business with plans to just have a handyman company. It quickly blossomed into much more. We now do just about everything. Read more>>
Andrew Euler
I was born in 1992 in St. Joseph, MO. I spent my entire childhood growing up in Wathena, Kansas. I left for Topeka, Kansas to attend Washburn University where I majored in Biology with minors in Chemistry, Physics, and Leadership Studies. Following undergraduate school I attended the prestigious Creighton University, School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska where I received a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.). Read more>>
Alisha Galvan
I’ve always been a book nerd; I’m not ashamed to admit it. Journaling and writing down my thoughts are always therapeutic. Reading has become a devotion for me ever since I learned how to read. Combining real-life horrors with fiction has been my passion since I read my first Goosebumps book in the third grade. Read more>>
Brittanie Sinisgalli
After working for about 15 years in sales, coffee shops and retail management, I found a job in public health and quickly discovered how passionate many in that field are and although I enjoyed my job, I didn’t feel that spark of passion. Read more>>
Tony Ly
We are in the nail industry for more than 20 years. We started our first business in Kearney, Missouri for 15 years. We found this area would have more opportunities for our business since the first construction started around 2016. Since then we started to image and get prepared for our ideally nail salon in Liberty area. Read more>>
Bill Moran
I was a fundraiser for St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation from 1987 through 1996. During that time, I began writing and speaking at fundraising conferences on planned giving, a form of fundraising. That was a natural marketing tool that gave me a niche, built a positive reputation in Kansas City and the surrounding states. At the end of 1996, I formed The Moran Company. Read more>>
Mary Costello
I’d first heard of the concept of a ‘cat cafe’ a little over 10 years ago. They had become popular in Japan and I believe the first cat cafe had just opened here in the States. Read more>>
Nick Jarrett
Metropolitan Conservatory is a music school that offers one on one private music lessons as well as music classes in group settings. We were founded in 2014 by our friend and colleague, Natasha Kwapich. Read more>>
Marianna Hendrickson
Flowers have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I am Dutch. When I was six, my family immigrated to the United States. Holland is the “land of flowers.”Beautiful flowers are sold at streetside flower stands and a Dutch home always has a lovely vase with fresh flowers. Read more>>
Olivia Scott
I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I even had a small toddler-sized easel my grandfather made for me that I would scribble on all day long. Around 14 or so, I got super interested in tattooing, much to my parents worry. When I graduated high school I started searching for an apprenticeship. Read more>>
Angie Butts
There was no straight line. No polished plan. Only a woman learning how to alchemize her pain into power — and her silence into medicine. My path as a Holistic Practitioner was forged in the fire of my own becoming. I didn’t study healing because it was trendy — I found it in the rubble. Read more>>
Vonetta McClunie
Please note my email address was entered wrong. It did not auto correct. Please correct in your system or I won’t get emails. [email protected]. Thanks Hi, when I graduated from high school, I pretty much knew that I wanted to pursue a medical/health profession. So, I enrolled in Howard University in Wash. DC in 1991 intending to pursue pre-med. Read more>>
Jacob Carter
Ike’s Cold Lemonade was born in July of 2023, right in front of the house where young entrepreneur Isaac, known as “Ike,” and his father first set up shop. Long before the brand reached stores, the two worked side by side — making the lemonade by hand, cleaning bottles, applying labels, and packaging every product themselves. Read more>>
Brandy Ferguson
What sets Nail Excavating apart isn’t just skill; it is service. Brian built his business on showing up, following through, and treating every customer like family. When others ask “why,” he asks “why not?” If he promised a customer something, he’d make it happen, even if it meant working through the night. That mix of grit, optimism, and accountability became the foundation for everything that followed. Read more>>
Amanda Pearce
Midwest Horizons Marketing began humbly on a small nightstand in the corner of my bedroom in North Missouri, with nothing more than \$500 and a big dream. My dad once told me, *“If you can’t start a service company with \$500 or less, you probably shouldn’t start it at all.”* That advice stuck with me, and I set out determined to prove him right. Read more>>
