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.
Kyle Kettering
We started Copperwing Distillery between a doctor, lawyer and engineer, with aspirations of making whiskey. None of us had ever made distilled spirits before, however, I had about 4 years of homebrewing experience. The engineering background made it simpler to tackle the hard problems as we got started in the industry. Read more>>
Philip Hoks
In the summer of 1951, a group of bold New York City actors packed their bags and headed far north to Bemidji, Minnesota. They weren’t looking for a traditional stage; they were looking for a ‘working vacation’ at Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge. Their first production was J.B. Priestley’s gripping thriller, An Inspector Calls. It was supposed to be a temporary, one-year experiment. Read more>>
Kyle Nunes Medeiros
My journey started with a simple desire to create something meaningful and share my perspective with the world. Growing up in Toronto, I was always interested in media, storytelling, and the idea of building something from the ground up. What began as experimenting with content creation gradually evolved into a larger mission centered around self-improvement, entrepreneurship, and inspiring others to pursue their goals. Read more>>
Justin Bergman
I started off in Grand Rapids with my first I.T. Job at Connecting Point. I was 20 years old. I have been in the field ever since in some capacity. Fast forward to recently and I had been doing I.T. for Floe International in McGregor for 5 years. Living in Hibbing I didnt like the commute. Read more>>
Nila Chakraborty
Growing up with a blend of Eastern and Western cultures, I always had a passion for Indian ethnic wear. I loved watching Bollywood movies and was inspired by the beautiful clothing worn by the actors and actresses. Fashion became a way for me to stay connected to my heritage while living in the United States. Read more>>
Nataliia Kuchma
I was born and raised in Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, I worked as a physician and taught at a medical institute. When the war began, my daughter Solomiia and I relocated to western Ukraine, while my husband joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Read more>>
KAITLAN/Kellie WAGNER/Jorgenson
Sync Health started because we were frustrated with how hard it was for people to get the kind of healthcare they deserved. Too many people were being told their labs were ‘normal’ while they still felt exhausted, overwhelmed, or just not like themselves. Read more>>
Nathan Watters
An exact beginning is always hard to pin point. The dream of a family farm, orchard, tasting room and cidery/winery probably grew from many different moments in both our lives. For Nate, the apple farming began as a boy in the orchards of Upstate New York. Read more>>
Natalie Streich
Storybook Entertainment MN was founded in 2020 after I returned home to Minnesota following my time working at the most magical place on earth—Disney World. Adjusting from the excitement of Disney to a cold Minnesota winter during the height of COVID-19 was a challenge, and with extra time on my hands, I began looking for ways to continue spreading joy. Read more>>
Nittaya Braziunas
I was born and raised in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. I studied Business Administration, but if someone had told me back then that I would one day own a Thai restaurant in North Dakota, I probably would not have believed them. Life brought me to the United States, where I started building a new life with my family. Read more>>
Skylar Scheurer
I’m originally from Fargo, ND but spent plenty of time in rural ND as well growing up. I was always athletic but endured some injuries which limited my experience in sports past a certain point. Read more>>
Stephanie Guizzetti
I discovered Pilates in 2012 when I was looking for a way to deal with chronic pain from being born with club feet and undergoing multiple surgeries as a child. I began to regularly practice the classical method on the reformer, which always starts with ‘footwork.’ It was not long before I noticed my range of motion increasing and my pain decreasing. Read more>>
Gretchen Fleener
I started face painting at the age of 16 at an amusement park in high school (Valleyfair in Shakopee, MN) as a way to pay for college. When the park closed for the season, I moved indoors and got a job painting faces at the Mall of America in what used to be known as Knott’s Camp Snoopy. Read more>>
Kari Kearns
This is Kari Kearns speaking. My husband Clayton and I were looking at buying a cabin for our family in 2023, when a 100+ year old farm came up for sale less than 10 minutes from our home. It was an old dairy farm with an old dairy barn – the same type of barn that was on Clayton’s grandparents farm growing up. Read more>>
Kathy Gray
Twenty-three years ago, our daughter Miranda experienced an Amniotic Fluid Embolism while giving birth to her first child. For weeks, we didn’t know what impact this rare, life-threatening event would have on her and her baby girl. It can leave brain damage, kidney damage, and many other big impacts. Fortunately, Miranda and her daughter lived, and they were well. Read more>>
Amanda Buzard
Frustrated by the way traditional healthcare has evolved—where administrative and business interests have increasingly taken precedence over the provider-patient relationship—we became determined to bring a different model of care forward. Throughout my career, one concern has remained constant: too many people struggle to access affordable, timely healthcare, often facing confusing and unpredictable costs along the way. Read more>>
Rob Gray
Gray Hobby Farm – Our hobby farm began with 2 apple trees in year one. In year 2, we transplanted raspberry plants with my grandfather from their home. and asparagus and rhubarb from my parent’s home. Over the years, we added many layers to our farm trying to increase our production, efficiency, and services annually. Read more>>
Katie and Eric Meulebroeck
The Old Schoolhouse is a historic, three-story brick school building constructed in 1917 and utilized by the school district until 1972 as Carr Lake School. In 1973, the property was purchased by the late Herb and Lois Dale of Bemidji, beginning a multi-generational family mission to restore and preserve the landmark structure. Read more>>
Renda Baird
I’m a Minnesota farm kid at heart. Growing up, I learned that if something needs doing, you show up, work hard, and take care of the people around you. Those lessons stuck with me long before I became a firefighter and eventually started Renda The Roofer. Firefighting taught me a lot about preparation, teamwork, and staying calm when things don’t go according to plan. Read more>>
India Salter
My story in early childhood education began nearly a decade ago at Summit School in Duluth, Minnesota. I started as an aide, then became an assistant teacher, lead teacher, and eventually director. Having grown within the same program has shaped the way I see early childhood education, not just as a profession, but as a system that affects children, families, educators, and the broader community. Read more>>
David Anderson
Run from their home in Rochester, Minnesota, Tada! Gadget Repair is owned and operated by David Anderson and his wife, Terry. In 2012, I repaired my first phone after the screen began to malfunction. Now, after over thousands of phones, tablets, i-pods, computer and camera screens, Tada! Gadget Repair provides a reliable repair service for a wide range of problems and devices. Read more>>
Cathy Molinett
My name is Cathy Molinett and I am originally from Santiago, Chile in beautiful South America. My fitness journey began in 2002 and my Zumba®️ love flourished in 2011. After 10 years of working as a fitness instructor and running fitness programs for corporate gyms in the Twin Cities, I realized how powerful my job was. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Thayer
Ever since I was little, I’ve been artistically and creatively inclined. I loved to write: stories, music, poems, and everything in between. And, I loved to draw. I have always felt so deeply and there was nothing better than creativity as an outlet. I, however, did not get into photography until I was 19. Read more>>
Justin and Sarah Bolinger
Justin has lived in Albert Lea his whole life. He enjoys the small town feel and how the community rallies around each other in support. Justin has always had a passion for BMX racing and BMX bikes. He started racing as a kid around the age of 4. Read more>>
Jesse Toftely
Growing up in rural Minnesota, I was always the kid who needed to know how things worked. I had a deep fascination with medicine and healthcare, but I also had this massive passion for working with my hands, specifically fixing up and restoring classic cars. Read more>>
Ciarra Grobe
I have enjoyed gardening ever since I was a child, but didn’t get to really get going until my husband and I bought our first home in Madison, Wisconsin in 2017. At that time we desperately wanted to have a baby and the garden was our way of distracting ourselves while we struggled through infertility. Read more>>
Sonja Benson
I earned my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a supportive program in Family Social Sciences at the University of MN. I’m currently a psychologist in solo practice. This is my second solo practice I’ve built, the first one being in AZ and then I moved back to MN and started again. Read more>>
