Start An Art Gallery - Business Ideas

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 15th, 2022

Start An Art Gallery

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

For artists, getting the attention of traditional brick & mortar stores is an enormous challenge with slim odds of success. Fortunately, online marketplaces make it possible for artists across the globe to sell their artwork internationally.

With art galleries contributing up to 45 billion dollars, they can be a great business opportunity. If you are interested in the art industry, you can start an online art gallery.

Starting an art gallery requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell art gallery, or selling art gallery online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

starting costs

$37K

gross margin

40%

avg product price

$700

time to build

330 days

growth

Organic social media

business model

Subscriptions

time investment

Full time

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Office Space Expenses	$0	$7,000
Employee & Freelancer Expenses	$151	$352
Website Costs	$223	$7,215
Business Formation Fees	$5,600	$20,400
Equipment & Supply Expenses	$66	$700
Retail Business Expenses	$1,250	$11,650
Inventory Expenses	$350	$13,750
Software Expenses	$162	$3,094
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$75	$9,736
Total Startup Costs	$7,877	$73,897

See all startup costs ➜

Successful Businesses

Business	URL	Rank
Grey Art Gallery	greyartgallery.nyu.edu	2,521
Fine Art America	fineartamerica.com	5,122
The Metropolitan Museum of Art	metmuseum.org	12,766
Christie's	christies.com	23,667
MOCA Jacksonville	mocajacksonville.unf.edu	30,951
Artsonia	artsonia.com	76,439
Bluethumb Online Art Gallery	bluethumb.com.au	117,572
Whitney Museum of American Art	whitney.org	134,894
Gagosian	gagosian.com	137,349
Agora Gallery	agora-gallery.com	198,746
Art Brokerage	artbrokerage.com	253,567

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Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Rewarding work	Starting a art gallery can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.
Meaningful business connections	You never know who you will meet as a art gallery. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!
Unlimited income potential	With starting an art gallery there is no cap as to how much income you can make. The stronger your business skills and the more energy/time you put into your career, the more you'll make.
You are your own boss!	With starting an art gallery, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!
Local Community	One of the best parts of starting an art gallery is that you can develop a local following by selling your products at craft shows, farmers' markets, or even local storefront businesses! This gives you access to additional revenue streams and loyal customers.
Higher likelihood of getting referrals	This business is all about referrals, which can be a a very impactful way to attract and retain customers. It's critical that you have a great referral program in place that incentivizes your customers to tell their friends about your product.

See all pros ➜

Cons	Description
Crowded Space	Competition is high when it comes to your art gallery, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.
Longer Sales Process	A art gallery can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.
Work can be inconsistent	As a art gallery, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.
Isolation	Often times, as a art gallery, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.
Time commitment	With starting an art gallery, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.
You might struggle financially (at first)!	If you bootstrap your business or choose not to pay yourself (or pay yourself less than you were making at your corporate job), this can be financially taxing. It's important to adjust your lifestyle and set a plan for yourself so you don't find yourself in a stressful situation.

See all cons ➜

Marketing Ideas

1

Direct Sales

Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

Learn more about direct sales ➜
2

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

Learn more about word of mouth ➜
3

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

Learn more about social media advertising ➜

See all marketing ideas ➜

Key Stats

Startup Costs

Successful Businesses

2,521

5,122

12,766

23,667

30,951

76,439

117,572

134,894

137,349

198,746

253,567

Pros & Cons

Marketing Ideas

Direct Sales

Word of mouth

Social Media Advertising