Philly Tiny Art Gallery helps support big dreams in Fishtown

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, there's a tiny art gallery showcasing and supporting artists in a big way.

It's the brainchild of a local artist who was laid off from her event marketing job during the pandemic and it's homegrown in every sense of the word.

Philly Tiny Art Gallery just popped up in a planter full of flowers outside of Sarah Rado's home on East Cumberland Street.

It's a place where artists can showcase and sell their work, and a place where people can shop really small while supporting big dreams.

"I am really inspired by all the little free libraries," Rado says. "I've seen other little free art galleries pop up around the country. I thought, 'That's really cool,' but I want to take this idea further so that the artists have a chance to actually make some money from selling their art. So, it's an intentional departure from the 'little free' part."

A tiny gallery means small art. The box is just 16 inches high, 16 inches wide, and 6 inches deep, but it's filled with treasures.

When you follow Philly Tiny Art Gallery on Instagram, you get the code to the lock.

You then shop around and if you see something you like, you pay the artist directly on Venmo or PayPal.

"Because I'm not specifically picking an artist, anyone can come in here," Rado says. "It really encourages people who are shy, that have never tried to sell their art before, or even just established artists who are just looking to break into a new way of actually getting their art out to people."

You can see what's for sale in-person or on Instagram.

Every time someone opens the box, Sarah's doorbell rings. She says this is a great way to get to know her neighbors and tell them more about these unique artists.

Rado hopes the idea catches on and all neighborhoods find a small way to support their local artists too.