BeLocal

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞? 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝.

This Saturday’s BeLoved Favorites spotlight is on Gemma Villamor Gullaksen!

Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Gemma has built quite a life here in Fort Bend. She’s an entrepreneur, Master Esthetician, founder of NaturElle Skin Bar in Richmond, and someone who believes that success means a whole lot more when you’re using it to lift others up.

And her background might surprise you!

Gemma holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Houston. She’s also worked across business, hospitality, counseling, beauty, and wellness.

But when we asked what people underestimate about Fort Bend, she didn’t talk about how much our county is growing or how many businesses are opening.

She talked about the people: The diversity. The relationships. The way people from different backgrounds come together and genuinely root for one another.

For Gemma, Fort Bend isn’t simply where she opened a business. It’s where she’s built relationships, served her community, and found a place that truly feels like home.

Now that’s a pretty wonderful reason to love where you live!

When the boxes are finally unpacked and the moving tape is cleared away, the real adventure begins: turning a new address into your hometown. 🏠✨

That’s where BeLocal comes in. Think of us as your insider guide written by the locals who know this community best. From the best hidden-gem coffee spots and family-friendly parks to trusted local businesses you can count on, we help you skip the trial-and-error and start living like a local from day one.

Welcome to the neighborhood 👋

It’s finally starting to feel a little more like fall around here… and we’re not mad about it. 👀

There’s plenty happening around Richmond this week, so take a look, make some plans, and enjoy a little cooler-weather fun with the community. 🤎

📍 Check the tagged accounts for all the details!

📩 Have an event to share? Tag us or DM .

October is here, and so are some of the latest BeLocal covers! 🍂

Every BeLocal is filled with the people, places, and local businesses that make a community feel like home. These covers are just the thing to entice new movers to flip through and enjoy the local stories and personalities featured within our issues.

Take a look at a few of our September covers worth spotlighting and see what’s happening in BeLocal communities across the country!

BeLocal Las Cruces | BeLocal Summerlin | Belocal Parker

Home Connect with Your Ideal Clients

WHAT’S INSIDE BELOCAL?

The Local Tips You'll Use
Recommendations to help you get settled faster.

The Businesses You’ll Need
Trusted local providers, all in one place.

The Places You’ll Want to Explore
Top attractions and local favorites worth knowing about.

Inspiration is better when you can actually hold it in your hands.

BeLocal is your guide to the people, places, and businesses that make your new community feel a little more like home.

Grab a copy. Flip through it. Get inspired to visit your next favorite local spot.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

Then you find out the flashlight batteries are dead, your phone is at 12%, nobody knows where the important paperwork is, and the household “plan” is basically everyone texting each other at once.

September is National Preparedness Month, so consider this your Richmond reminder to get a few of those boring things handled before the weather makes them urgent.

Save this one. Send it to the person in your house who always says, “We’ll figure it out.”

Because that’s a lot easier to say when the lights are still on! 😉

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 “𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲” 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 💙

And Michelle Vargas gets it!

Michelle is a longtime Fort Bend County resident, wife, mom, proud Grammy, and the current President of the Fort Bend Junior Service League. She’s someone who genuinely loves bringing people together and giving back to the community she calls home.

So naturally, we had to ask her about a few of her local favorites.

☕ A cup at Vogs Coffeehouse
🍦 A family treat at Ked’s Ice Cream
🛍️ And one very special Fort Bend tradition-Sugar Plum Market, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year!

But our favorite part of Michelle’s answers might be WHY she loves living here:

“We show up for one another.”

That right there? That’s Fort Bend.

Know someone whose Fort Bend favorites we should feature next? Drop their name below. 👇