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.
Hugh Carlin
I’ve been in the restaurant business for over 30 years and have been a restaurant owner for 15 years. I started with a franchised deli that I owned for eight years. I now own Carmine’s Pizza & Pasta, which I have also owned for eight years. Read more>>
DanVy Ngo
My path to HAUS OF VY makes a lot more sense looking backward than it did while I was living it. Long before I ever thought of creative direction, branding, or content as a career, I was already doing versions of this work. Read more>>
Thomas Moran
I (Thomas) was previously a Marketing Director for a home services company based in Golden, CO. I needed someone to handle our social media content, and brought Kellyn on to the team. We quickly became friends. Read more>>
John-Christian ‘J.C.’ Maheu
I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, where my love for performance, leadership, and community first took root. I was a performer even before high school, participating in community theater opportunities and singing wherever my heart lead me. Read more>>
Jessica Llanas
I am a certified Prenatal, Postnatal , and children’s yoga instructor. I have been teaching prenatal yoga for 10 years. In addition, I also teach childbirth education classes. I have three beautiful children. When I was pregnant with my first child I lived in Wisconsin and took a prenatal yoga class. It was an amazing eperience. Read more>>
Nicole Gonzales
Narrative started with a question: What If? What if every young person transitioning from the system had the power to take back their own story? What if they had the chance to dream beyond their current circumstances and believe they deserve more than life has handed them? And what if that started at home, with four blank walls? Read more>>
Clarine Warren
I’ve loved fashion, and the ritual of getting dressed, for as long as I can remember. My parents tell stories about me standing in my closet at three years old, announcing that I had nothing to wear! I’ve always been drawn to trends, to what feels like me, and to how I can express myself through clothing. I wasn’t the most confident kid. Read more>>
Mia Cristina Brandan
In a world of much uncertainty and grief- dance has always been a constant in my life. For as long as I can remember movement has always been my form of self expression, escape, and way of coping through hard times. Read more>>
Evan Lambrecht
For as long as I can remember, the outdoors has been a major part of my life. Growing up in Colorado, my family spent much of our time hiking and exploring the mountains, and as I got older I often hiked the trails near Chautauqua with my grandpa. Read more>>
Ada Capsay
I showed interest in modeling many years ago but never fully committed to it. That was until my parents surprised me with a photoshoot for my birthday while we were in Minneapolis for my brother’s hockey camp. I hadn’t realized until that moment, but I felt the most like myself in front of a camera. Read more>>
Armando Villegas
NuLif3 started as a way to escape — not run away, but break free. I’ve always believed music should have no limits, and that became my mission. I came up as a DJ and music producer obsessed with tech house, bass house, and psychedelic sounds. Read more>>
Jordan White
My name is Jordan Leigh, and I’m the owner and artist behind Simpleigh Sunkissed. I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and moved to Denver nearly five years ago. Read more>>
Liv Charpie
I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to Colorado in 2017 to join some friends who had moved out here a few years prior. I’ve always loved traveling, meeting new people, trying new things and starting new chapters. I’ve always had a “let’s see where this takes me” attitude toward life. Read more>>
Michelle courier
I was raised by an Artist/ Art professor Father who was a painter, printmaker, ceramic artist. I started selling my paintings at the age of 16 and got into my first gallery in Mildland, MI at the age of 20 and also won Best of Show at an all area exhibit in MI at that age. Read more>>
Jim Ilg
We first got our start in the Golden Triangle by getting pushed out of our prior location further downtown by the City of Denver through Eminent Domain. This lead us to our current property in the Golden Triangle area of Denver. In 2007 we decided to fully commit to the Hostel as a whole and navigate the paths that that decision lead us down. Read more>>
Grahame Fitz
I became interested in human health in my early 20s and started my career as a personal trainer. Over the past 10 years, I’ve taught thousands of group fitness classes and one-on-one personal training sessions. Along the way, I began to see that being physically fit was only one part of the equation on the journey toward deeper well-being. Read more>>
Christina Stiverson
For most of my life, I believed I could figure almost anything out if I worked hard enough. I grew up an eternal optimist. I liked having a plan, I loved certainty, and I was extremely stubborn when I decided I was going to do something. More than 20 years in the military probably reinforced a lot of that in me. Read more>>
Maria Marquez
I have always experienced myself as someone connected, creative, and spiritual. As a little girl, I spent a lot of time in books, in fantasy worlds, and in my dreams (awake and asleep) traversing my mind and body, which I found to be endless conduits for in-and-out of body experiences. Read more>>
1000 PERCENT
1000 PERCENT started making music and writing songs at a very early age. He began producing music and DJing in High School, making various beats and mixes that he would upload to Soundcloud and YouTube. He is a multi-disciplinary artist who also began learning about digital media and marketing at the age of 13. Read more>>
Aaron Mason
I’ve been drawn to visual art for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I remember being fascinated with movies and the different media coming out, both in Hollywood movies as well as projects independent creators were making and sharing on YouTube. Read more>>
Rachel Ralph
Growing up in the mountains, I wasn’t exposed to a lot of art as a child. That was, except for my annual visits to Chicago to see my grandfather, who was a lifelong member at the Art Institute and would take me there often. I learned about contemporary art through artists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres and my world expanded. Read more>>
Fork Around & Find Out Gii Astorga
Fork Around & Find Out is Greeley’s first Restaurant Week style campaign. This started with a few business owners partnering up with local organizations to help celebrate Greeley’s restaurant scene. Read more>>
Lauren Jacobson
My story is a love story – for music, for connecting with people through my craft, and for the idea of living in accordance with my values and believing in dreams. I play clarinet, and every step of my journey was a decision to keep playing my clarinet and to see what might happen next. It began as a music education major in Colorado. Read more>>
Cassie Chacon
I always did nails growing up. Saw on a middle school field trip to Warren tech I could do this as a career. I was able to go to Warren tech in high school, go part time, so I got my license while I was still in high school and started working as a nail tech my senior year of high school. Read more>>
Lily Borak Bender
I took an interest in photography at the end of high school after a trip to Japan — the landscapes were overwhelming, and I came home wanting to be a National Geographic photographer. I’d always loved the photos in those magazines. Read more>>
Marie Llanes
I am a Colorado native born and raised on a small cattle ranch northeast of Colorado Springs. My family was involved in local organizations including 4H, which fostered my love of horses and sewing. Thru the years moving to Arizona, Texas and finally back to Colorado the only thing that remained consistent was horses and sewing. Read more>>
Kaley Smylie-Halligan
My husband (Korey) and I met back in 2013 working at a local coffee shop together. We were good friends for a few years and started dating in 2016! I spent 8 years in total working in coffee shops and felt perfectly content with that speed of things. I liked the early mornings and going straight to my caffeine fix everyday! Read more>>
Daun Knight
My obsession with art and color started as soon as I could hold a crayon and everything I’ve done in my life since has revolved around the arts. After winning an art scholarship from my high school back in Michigan, I went on to college to pursue a degree in art and design. Read more>>
Katrina King
I grew up with the women in my life constantly crafting, learning knitting, crochet, embroidery and cross-stitch from time spent with my great-grandmother, grandmothers and mom. Hands were always busy creating. I continued learning skills after college, weaving, spinning, tatting and more. Sometimes the more obscure the craft, the better! Read more>>
Fiya Mayne
It all started when I was young. The moment I first discovered music, I knew it would be something I pursued for the rest of my life. I went through a lot at a young age, which helped me to define the approach I wanted to take with music. Over time, that dream morphed into a reality. Read more>>
Tena Green
My journey into educational advocacy really began as a parent. I am the mom of three sons, and my oldest son, Brady, has Down syndrome. When Brady entered the school system, I quickly realized how much there was to learn about special education, IEPs, services, and supports—and how overwhelming that process can feel for families. Read more>>
Taja Futrell
My journey with hair started when I was about five years old. I taught myself how to braid, and honestly, I can’t fully explain how I figured it out at that age. It’s something I’ve known how to do for as long as I can remember. The business side came much later. In 2017, I was facing financial challenges and needed another source of income. Read more>>
Jonathan Goldman
I come from New Jersey. My father was a medical doctor–a pioneer in plastic surgery. I attended Boston University where I graduated with a degree in ‘Broadcasting and Film’. I did some graduate work in journalism, but my main focus was playing in pretty well known local rock n’ roll bands. Read more>>
Susan Faust
Hello, and thankyou for this opportunity to chat. Well, my journey as an artist has been a lifetime of following some crazy winding path that seemed to pulse along on its own. Making things was just always a part of what I needed to do. Read more>>
Michelle Simmons
Michelle Simmons began her journey in private practice in 2009, driven by a clear need she saw throughout the Denver metropolitan area: greater access to culturally responsive, gender-responsive, and relevant mental health services. From the beginning, her vision extended beyond simply providing therapy. She was committed to creating a space where individuals from marginalized and historically underserved communities could feel seen, understood, and supported. Read more>>
Ashley Stackhouse
I’ve dealt with acne for most of my life, so getting into aesthetics was very personal for me. Being from a small town in Michigan, we didn’t really have options for med spas or acne clinics. Your options were Walgreens or the dermatologist. I had been on so many medications over the years and tried so many skincare brands. Read more>>
David Kem
I’ve always been creating art (aka drawing and painting) my whole life. I just so happen to parallel path an education and career in engineering while doing so. Read more>>
Tami Poortman
My journey with FinalEyes Band began in 2013 with my late husband Randy Abbiati. Together, we formed our five-piece band, handpicking each musician to build something we were proud of. Randy was my best friend, and forming this band together will always be a treasured part of our story. Read more>>
Madeline Perez
Expedition Courage was founded by Deanna Kleinhenz from a deep love of the outdoors and a belief that adventure can change the way women see themselves. What began as a way to help women step outside of their comfort zones through backpacking and outdoor experiences eventually grew into something much bigger, a space for connection, courage, and personal transformation. Read more>>
Dr. Anastasia Canfield
My work as a creative helper started very early. My father is a kind-hearted and philanthropic man who would take me to nursing homes and adult daycare facilities to spend time with people who did not have family or who had not seen their family in a long time. Read more>>
Danielle Luna 
I started taking photos when I was young. I had a little pink digital camera, and I carried it everywhere. I photographed everything and everyone around me. In high school, I took a photography class and got to develop film in the darkroom, which made me love the process even more. One of my favorite early memories is taking my friend Gabby’s senior photo. Read more>>
Aireanne Meador 
Refined Catering began with a simple idea: we wanted to create food and experiences that felt personal, thoughtful, and genuinely memorable. After years of working in the catering industry, we decided it was time to build something of our own. A little over a year after leaving our previous company, we took a leap of faith and started Refined Personal Chef and Catering. Read more>>
