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- 👻 $1k A Pop Up Art Market
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If you’re new here, we turn $1 into thousands building these weird but simple side hustles. Welcome to Ghost Business 👻 Your (mostly) weekly email
TLDR;
Startup: $500
Revenue per event: $1K+
Model: Art pop-up = gallery experience without the pretension
Repeat every 2 weeks and suddenly you’re the PNW’s most approachable art dealer
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Everyone loves “affordable art”, they just don’t know where to find it. Turns out Bright Place Gallery in Bend, OR cracked the code.
It’s called The 20 Art Show
Artists pay $20 to reserve a spot which allows them to post 20 to 50 pieces, if you want to post more pieces, it costs more.
They looked fully booked out so this got me wondering how we can build this as our side hustle 👇
You rent a space for one day, fill it with small local art priced between $20, and take a 10% cut from each sale. It’s basically an art farmer’s market for broke collectors.
You handle the event logistics, the artists handle the creativity, and everyone leaves feeling classy.
Venue: $300 (small gallery, café, or community hall)
Materials: $100 (easels, signage, tape, tablecloths, name cards)
Marketing: $100 (Instagram ads + posters)
Startup cost: ~$500
The MVP
Find 10 local artists using hashtags like #SeattleArtists or #PNWArt. Offer them free space and 80% of each sale (you keep 20%).
Each artist brings 5 small pieces, averaging $50 each.
That’s 50 pieces × $50 = $2,500 total inventory. You take 20% ($500) if most sell — enough to cover your costs and validate the idea.
10 artists × 5 pieces each
Avg sale: $50
Your take: 20% = $10 per sale
Sell 50 pieces = $500 profit
Path to $1,000 a week
Do it twice a month, or expand to pop-ups in bars, cafés, or outdoor markets. Charge artists a $25 table fee once demand builds, or take 30% commission on higher-priced work. Add merch — mini prints, art cards, or local collabs — for extra margin.
By event #3, you’ll have a roster of artists and regular buyers — basically, a tiny, profitable gallery that moves.
20 artists × $25 = $500 upfront
$3,000 total art sales × 20% = $600 cut
Total per event: $1,100 gross
p.s If you found this insight into the newsletter industry valuable, imagine how helpful it could be to someone else dreaming of starting their own hustle!
Hit the share button below to pass this on to a friend, colleague, or anyone who's ever thought about turning their passion into profit.
Viability:
1 [building spaceships] 🚀 to 5 [easy peasy] 😊
You’ll need to coordinate artists, handle logistics for a real event, and do a bit of promotion to make sure people actually show up. It’s not physically hard or risky, just takes people skills, scheduling, and a few coffee-fueled weekends to keep it rolling.
(As usual each business will have it’s own setbacks, and it’s all about the execution and consistency rather than just having the idea)
It’s a great day to be great!
Love, Mike 👋
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