Art on the go
Entrepreneur aims to put art gallery on wheels in burgeoning mobile commerce empire
When it comes to the world of mobile commerce, few people think outside the box. Sure, the number of food trucks in Dallas-Fort Worth has exploded as of late. But you can count the other types of businesses selling goods out of vehicles on one hand.
Entrepreneur Jeremy Turner is trying to change that kind of thinking. Turner and his wife, Kelsey, started taking out The Vintagemobile — a bright green former school bus packed with vintage clothes — back in 2011. Weather permitting, they drive to places like Oddfellows in Oak Cliff or the Old Red Lumberyard Junk Market in McKinney a few times a month to look for buyers on the prowl for unique duds.
Jeremy Turner has a thing for vintage and plans on using a 1955 Spartan trailer for the CART Mobile gallery.
Turner is now turning his attention to world of art. Taking inspiration from his artist neighbor, Turner hopes to start the CART Mobile Gallery. He'll use the gallery to display art by that neighbor, Arnulfo Perez lll, and other area artists who could use help getting their work seen by a larger audience.
Turner has a thing for vintage and plans on using a 1955 Spartan trailer for the gallery. But because the trailer will need to be updated, and he currently lacks the means to tow it, he has turned to Kickstarter to try and raise the money he needs.
Kickstarter has been in the news lately thanks to Veronica Mars. A public plea from creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell raised $2 million in less than 12 hours to adapt the short-lived mid-2000s TV mystery series into a movie.
Turner's goal for his campaign, which starts March 18, is not nearly as lofty, as he hopes to raise $15,000 in 30 days. As with all good Kickstarter campaigns, he's promising rewards based on how much money you want to pledge.
In for $25? You get a cool T-shirt with an image of the trailer. Feel like ponying up $1,000? You get a live painting by Perez, in addition to all the rewards from the lower levels. In all, Turner is offering rewards for 10 different levels, ranging from $5 to $5,000.
If the campaign is successful, Turner hopes to have CART Mobile Gallery on the road by May 2013. And he's not stopping there: Turner say he envisions other mobile commerce opportunities, and that he would eventually like to put his own spin on a mobile business park. Given the ideas he's had so far, we wouldn't put anything past him.