How to Start an Art Gallery

Art galleries provide local artists an opportunity to gain exposure and profit from their work. While the primary goal from a business standpoint is to make profit based on art sales and special events, providing a vibrant art scene can help create a more vibrant community. Customers for an art gallery’s work typically include collectors, investors, decorators, and private companies.

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Start an art gallery by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Art Gallery
  2. Form your Art Gallery into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Art Gallery for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Art Gallery
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Art Gallery
  7. Get Art Gallery Insurance
  8. Define your Art Gallery Brand
  9. Create your Art Gallery Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your art gallery. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Art Gallery Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state’s business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability

It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening an art gallery?

One important cost for your art gallery is renting your space. This cost will vary by both region and specific areas of town: an art gallery in Soho may pay as much as as $100,000 a month in rent. Meanwhile, a small 3-room studio and storefront in Key West costs only $1,600 a month. Many art dealers and gallery managers begin as artists themselves and may be able to network with artists who rent studio spaces to find the best intersection of price and space. Additionally, you will need to spend $99 to $129 on a modest inventory business management system and up to $20 a month for a reliable email delivery platform.

Business license fees will vary by state but must be paid. Additionally, you must pay up to $255 a year to register and keep a domain name and website for visitors, and you may pay up to $75 per hour for a website designer if you cannot design it yourself. More variable costs include marketing (clever social media marketing is free, though you’ll want to pursue traditional advertisements locally), frames and furniture (the cost of which are respectively contingent on the amount of product and the amount of space available), salary for staff (which may be negligible for a small gallery), and the utility costs and other monthly operating expenditures. Equipment needed is a cash register(s), bins to hold items for sale, appropriate lighting, and decorations to make the store attractive. The other thing needed is exterior signage. These add up to an additional $10,000 to the startup costs. Finally, a deposit is often required to sign a long-term lease. The deposit amount depends on the monthly rent and the size of the retail location.

What are the ongoing expenses for an art gallery?

The ongoing expenses for an art gallery include paying monthly rent and the salaries of any employees that you may have. You must also continue to pay for any special events you throw, such as local art fairs. There are ongoing costs associated with the safe transport of the artwork as well as insurance for your entire business. Finally, you must pay for continual marketing in your area and beyond.

Who is the target market?

Of the four primary types of art buyers, the most preferred client is typically the art collector. These clients often have the most time to explore an art gallery and the most dispensable income with which to make purchases. They are also likeliest to enjoy discussing the finer points of different art and different artists. By contrast, art investors purchase many works of art, but they are more interested in buying art for low prices and selling it for a much higher return.

How does an art gallery make money?

The primary way that an art gallery makes money is by taking a percentage of artwork sales throughout the year. This percentage is negotiated with the artist but is typically no less than fifty percent. Additional revenue may be gained by throwing different events throughout the year or even renting the gallery space out as a special venue for other businesses.

How much can you charge customers?

The amount that you can charge clients and customers is dictated by factors such as region, competition, and the artists themselves. Artists with a long history of their work selling well will safely command a higher price and essentially represent a safe “investment” for your gallery. The prices from local competition also dictate your own prices, as it’s not wise to charge more than, say, $4,000 for a work of art if no other local galleries charge more than this amount. It is also wise to offer a range of different art at different prices to increase the perception of your gallery’s accessibility to the entire community.

How much profit can an art gallery make?

The profit an art gallery can make is variable. Bloomberg reports that the average profit margin for this kind of business is 6.5 percent. Obviously, the amount of profit is tied to the amount of art sold and the price of that art. It’s important to work out a fair price with the artist: they want to feel properly compensated for their materials used and hours spent, while you want to receive at least fifty percent of the sale.

How can you make your business more profitable?

One immediate way to make your business more profitable is to negotiate a higher cut of art sales. While a 50/50 split is more of the industry norm, some argue that a 70/30 split in favor of the gallery is more equitable: after all, the gallery is typically paying for the marketing, production, transport, and insurance of the art. Finding areas with more affordable rent is also a consideration, as is using the gallery space for more of your own special exhibitions, fairs, and parties as well as leasing it to others for their own events. Finally, it’s wise to consider a smaller staff: a few higher-paid employees actually perform better in gallery-related roles than paying smaller salaries to a much larger staff.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your art gallery is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.

This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.

In practice, this means that if your art gallery were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?

Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.

FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate an art gallery business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

In particular, most states require art dealer businesses to obtain a seller’s permit. A seller’s permit allows states to record and collect taxes from goods (and sometimes service) sales.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Consignment Agreement

When dealing with artists, it is always advisable to draft a standard contract regulating terms of conditions under which you may sell their artwork. This type of agreement is often referred to as a consignment agreement.

  • A sample gallery-artist agreement can be found here.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.

Find out what types of insurance your Art Gallery needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Art Gallery.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market an art gallery

Traditional marketing for an art gallery includes television and newspaper advertisements as well as fliers and other promotional materials in cafes and other cultural centers that support the local art scene. Local businesses may also enjoy being associated with the art scene via your business. As mentioned before, social media is a major way to reach a large audience at no additional cost.

How to keep customers coming back

One of the best ways to retain existing customers is to stay in contact with them. Create a mailing list of previous clients and keep them apprised of new artwork and events that keeps them coming back for more. To attract new customers, it’s best to perform a combination of the above marketing techniques and collaborations with your artists on ways to advertise their work. This takes some of the pressure off of you and helps leverage their natural connections to the community you wish to reach.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPressWIXWeeblySquarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

The best art gallery manager is an artist himself: someone who is aware of different modes and styles of art as well as its history and future trends. The manager should have a sense of individual style that the different works on display help accentuate, which helps the business stand out from its competition. Running a gallery means having a somewhat flexible schedule, but sales can be contingent on a willingness to deliver and display artwork to prospective buyers’ homes, and often on short notice.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

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What happens during a typical day at an art gallery?

Some of the day-to-day activities of running an art gallery include greeting and speaking with customers, handling and displaying artwork, and dealing with a variety of administrative tasks that can range from managing a database of contacts to creating unique advertisements and updating your website and social media pages. It’s also important to deal with framers, manage your inventory, and always be planning for your next major event. Most importantly, you must take care of your artists, which can include finding additional opportunities for existing artists while also researching and reaching out to new artists.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful art gallery?

The most valuable experience for running your own art gallery comes from having served as a gallery assistant, art curator, or other related position in someone else’s art gallery. This provides invaluable experience for the different parts of the job, which is doubly important because managers of smaller galleries are doing much of the work on their own. It is possible to pick up both the practical and soft skills of gallery management by beginning and running the business, but it is vital to have a background in art. Prospective gallery managers should consider joining the Art Dealers Association of America in order to pursue answers to business questions and to explore networking opportunities.

What is the growth potential for an art gallery?

One quality of running an art gallery is that the job doesn’t really change as the business scales up. That is, a really popular art gallery may eventually lead to expansion via larger buildings and better venues, and may spawn multiple galleries in different areas. Ultimately, though, the nature of the job still involves negotiating with artists, marketing to clients, and seeking higher profits, with the added complexity of hiring additional employees and managers to work under you.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

How and when to build a team

Determining when to expand your art gallery business is a fairly organic process: once it gets to a point that you can no longer do everything on your own, it makes sense to begin hiring employees. This may happen very soon: you may wish to have someone who can process payments while you show other customers around, or someone to “mind the store” while you deliver some artwork to a loyal customer. Once you begin to host special parties and events, additional employees are an absolute must. Typical roles for employees are gallery assistants (who are typically paid $35,000 a year) and office managers (typically paid $36,000 a year), though it is possible for businesses just starting out to hire part-time help on an hourly basis.

Useful Links

Industry Opportunities

Real World Examples

Further Reading

Additional Sources