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.
Latasha Neer
I grew up in Southern Oregon and lived there for about 27 years. I started beauty school in 2009 at 18 years old, thinking it would be the beginning of this perfect career but that wasn’t my reality. I fell into the wrong crowd and into a lifestyle of partying that eventually led to 10+ years in addiction. Read more>>
Brenda Roth
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell my story! When I built my home in 2007 (on farmland that has been in my family since 1923), I put in a small greenhouse and garden. Read more>>
Parker Judd
My story starts in Albany, Oregon. Growing up, I wasn’t someone who fit the traditional mold. I dealt with amblyopia at a young age and have ADD, which made school challenging and forced me to think differently early on. I wasn’t the student who thrived in classrooms, but I always had drive, energy, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Read more>>
Michael Holloway
Escape Astoria began as a leap of faith and a shared dream. In February 2025, my wife and I purchased the escape room business from its previous owner, who was no longer able to run it. What we took on wasn’t just a business—it was an opportunity to rebuild, reimagine, and create something truly memorable for our community. Read more>>
Amanda Twilegar
We are two best friends who are creatives. 7 years ago, we started wellness retreats for makers and people to heal in the beautiful mountain settings around us. The retreats grew and gained a following. We fell in love with creating menus and specialty drinks as well as seeing our retreat goers gather around the table. Read more>>
Hannah Thornton
Growing up I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a great work ethic, always trying to think of the best way to make money and the next thing I could do that no one else is doing. I started working at 11 years old by babysitting for family friends, coworkers of my parents and anyone I could find! Read more>>
tosh mcintosh
Founded in 2011 as an independent 501(c)-3 nonprofit, our mission is to provide those in need of food a 4-7 day supply of groceries. Our goal is to help solve the estimated 15% of the population in Lincoln County, Or. facing hunger. Our success is defined as ‘No Hungry Bellies’! The founders retired in 2023 when a fresh 8 member Board of Directors was nominated. Read more>>
Azigza (Azi) Hussen
My journey to founding Gursha Eats is really a story about culture, resilience, and the desire to create belonging through food. I come from a background in storytelling and visual media, where I worked as a videographer and marketing specialist. Storytelling has always been at the center of what I do , whether through a camera lens or now through a plate of food. Read more>>
Megan Hanks
My path in dentistry started early, I began working in the dental field at 16 years old in Anchorage, Alaska, as a sterilization tech. After high school, I went on to complete a dental assisting program and then later hygiene school, so my career really grew step by step from the ground up. Read more>>
Natanhna Morales
My journey into massage therapy started in a pretty unexpected way. When I was 18, my stepmom jokingly suggested I go to college while I was still living at home, and I found myself choosing between massage therapy and physical therapy. I ultimately chose massage because I felt I could make a more immediate, hands-on impact in people’s lives. Read more>>
Dan Rickards
I always had an interest in art, even when I was young, but it wasn’t until I met Julia in my mid twenties, that I felt a purpose to make it more than an occasional hobby. Two years after we were married with her help and family support we decided to try professional painting on and see how it would fit. Read more>>
Linda Haga
My experience with Bowenwork began during recovery from severe sciatic pain and a herniated disc in my lower back. A friend referred me to a practitioner in Portland who did this “strange” technique, and I was willing to try anything to avoid surgery! Read more>>
Behireta Corbadzic
Bosnian refugee who started life in America in Boulder Colorado in summer of 2000. Had to lear the language and adopt to the new life style. In June 2010 I got my GED and same summer registered at the Community Collage of Colorado in downtown Denver for some English classes. In June 2018 received my Doctor of Chiropractic medicine diploma. Read more>>
Luminar Skincare
Luminar Skin was created to fill a clear gap in the skincare space: the need for high-quality, clean products that harness the unique benefits of ozonized oil. Ozone is rapidly gaining attention in mainstream wellness for its powerful therapeutic properties, particularly in addressing inflammation, pain, tissue damage, and microbial imbalances. Read more>>
Jason Wilcox
Jason and I are both mental health therapists and the hosts of the Spaghetti Wall podcast, where we talk about interpersonal relationships, the ups and downs of being in a partnership and ways to cope. 7 years ago, we met and fell in love. We both dreamed of owning and running our own practice one day. Read more>>
Desiree Dalkiran
We’re Meant to Heal: The Story Behind Shine Counseling I come from a poor background with a lot of instability and trauma. I moved to Lane County when I was young, in the third grade, after living in other places, and grew up locally. That experience gave me both an insider’s understanding of this community and the perspective of someone who learned it over time. Read more>>
Mary Palmrose and Echo Arias
Echo started cosmetology school in 2019 and graduated later that year from Stylemasters in Longview, WA. Ironically, she started in this very salon before it was Opulence Salon & Aesthetics. After about 6 months, she moved to another local salon. Mary started esthetician school in 2022 and graduated later that year from Spectrum Advanced Aesthetics in Tigard, OR. Read more>>
Sheila Bergloff
Throughout the years, I’ve always found myself intrigued by entrepreneurs and frequently daydreamed about becoming one myself. Unfortunately, I never had a clear vision of what that looked like because I didn’t know what I could, or wanted, to do. I just knew I had the desire to be my own boss and a desire to be free from the desk I was sitting at. Read more>>
Kathleen Strecker
Frite & Scoop began in 2014 as the business dream of Kevin and Lisa Malcolm, who opened the shop on Astoria’s Riverwalk selling handcrafted ice cream and European-inspired frites (fancy french fries). The store became an immediate hit with locals and tourists, winning multiple Readers’ Choice awards from the local newspaper for Best Dessert, Best Customer Service, and Best Frozen Treats. Read more>>
Melissa Lopez
I started my journey in the beauty industry in 2021 when I took my first lash course. At the time, I didn’t fully realize how much it would change my life—I just knew I wanted something more for myself. In 2022, I enrolled in beauty school, and by 2023 I graduated and fully committed to building my career. The beginning wasn’t easy. Read more>>
Jodi Peterson
Well, once upon a time I wanted to be a neonatologist but since I got pregnant in college and med school is not designed for single parents without support I recognized I had to change. So, I found a corporate job that would allow me to have consistency and stability while I was a single parent. Read more>>
Alex Le Grand
I was raised by my mother with two sisters and we did a lot of our own projects. My grandfather and uncle on my mother’s side both were career plumbers, and were extremely handy in many skills. Naturally, in my first house, I did all of the projects myself. In 2007 I began my first business as a contractor in Des Moines, IA. Read more>>
Alana White, Siena Holman N/A
We had worked together previously and knew we would be a good fit. So as our leases came up at our different locations we decided to take a chance mid pandemic (early 2021) and open our own studio. We signed our lease in February, and opened for business in April. We just celebrated our 5 year anniversary! Read more>>
Alex Ness
HERE’S THE TRUTH: MOST PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THREE YEARS OF RESULTS IN JUST SIX MONTHS’ TIME. THEY DON’T REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING A WHOLE-BODY CONNECTION, ESTABLISHING DAILY HABITS, AND SETTING REALISTIC GOALS TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE. OSU Graduate 2014 Portland, OR. 2014-2021 Coming out of college I started my career working at the West Side Athletic Club in downtown nw and Divison. Read more>>
Kevin Wilson
The idea for Rapid Rescue Edu began during my time working in Ukraine. As a Critical Care Paramedic, I was accustomed to operating in rural environments where resources were limited and adaptability was essential. In many situations, I had to rely on whatever was available to deliver care—experiences that reinforced the importance of practical skill, critical thinking, and confidence in high-pressure moments. Read more>>
Hayden Harker
Multiple pinball players in the Eugene community have discussed starting a nonprofit pinball collective for a few years. Last year we realized that interest in pinball in Eugene was at the highest level it had ever been which meant it was a good time to try and establish such an organization. Read more>>
Carmen Calvert
I was in my second semester of college when I sarcastically said out loud, ‘God, what am I going to do with my life?’ I picked a college for it’s location, Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Once I was there, I needed to pick a major to study. Read more>>
Candice Smith
Oregon is in my bones. I grew up in Ashland, went to the University of Oregon in Eugene where I studied History, and honestly never really left. That grounding in how communities evolve over time shaped the way I think about systems, people, and change. After graduation, I built a career in nonprofit administration and fundraising that spanned more than 20 years. Read more>>
Seth Howard
I started performing magic in the 7th Grade when my Science Teacher Mr. Crandall showed me a card trick. It was the first time I saw magic in person. I had always been fascinated by magic on tv but seeing in person was a whole other world. I begged my teacher to show me how he did it. Read more>>
Elana Scharff
My name is Elana Scharff, NP with 6 years of hospital experience working in General Surgery as a bilingual acute care nurse practitioner and 13 years experience as a nurse in medical-surgical and cardiology nursing. With the fast paced environment of the hospital, I learned how to manage patients acutely ill and with chronic medical conditions. Read more>>
Christy Flesch
I lived in Florida until I was 10 then my parents moved us to Salem Oregon. After high school I couldn’t wait to get out of Salem but had no idea what I wanted to do so I moved to Portland with my boyfriend at the time. Read more>>
Blake Chastain
We started printing in our single car garage 15 years ago as a side hobby/business. A clothing line was our first ambitioin and we pivoted that idea a few years in. We decided to transition our business to be a service to our community by printing for businesses locally and nationally. Read more>>
Ashley Chastain
I was raised in a Christian home with all of the instruction a young person normally gets, yet I struggled deeply with what truth really was and if God truly existed. Most of my teen years I distanced myself from anything that resembled the Christian lifestyle I was taught since I was young. Read more>>
Renee Frye
My journey into this work began through my own lived experience with addiction and trauma. That healing path gave me a deep understanding of how hard recovery can be, especially when pain affects the mind, body, spirit, and relationships. As I worked through my own healing, I came to see that lasting recovery often takes more than symptom management. Read more>>
Sandra Stephen
I started, in some ways, without knowing. I was nudged into the helping profession early on which ultimately created a degree path for me 20 years ago. I spent 10 years vocationally navigating micro- and macrosystem trauma and environments that act as both a developmental mold and gatekeeper for professionals and consumers. I developed more questions than answers about how to support human wellness. Read more>>
Ally Chapman
I grew up around music, but not in the way most people expect. My dad spent a lot of time recording in studios and those studios basically became my babysitter. I’d sit quietly in the corner watching sessions, absorbing the energy of the room and the way music brought people together. Read more>>
Christine Blystone
Velvetback was born on a warm day along a dirt trail among the trees. Read more>>
CAROLINE GREEN
My journey really started in my childhood. I grew up in a family of artists—painters, woodworkers, and poets—where weekend trips to galleries were our version of a typical family outing. My mother was my first teacher; she taught me everything from blowing watercolors with a straw to the complex chemistry of mixing encaustic wax. Read more>>
