The Small Business Project: Small art gallery muscles through Covid trenches
Monday, 16 February 2026
The Small Business Project is a weekly series that shines the spotlight on Kiwi small businesses doing interesting and unusual things in their industries.
Long-time art lover Liss Wallace has always loved a print, so much so that she set out seven years ago to set up a space dedicated to showcasing original prints - in a way that appealed to the everyday Kiwi. Wallace tells Aimee Shaw how Turua Gallery got through the tough pandemic years, and what’s ahead for the beachside Auckland studio.
What has your venture set out to achieve?
Dean, my husband, and I had been working in a creative industry for years with our design agency, and it felt like time for a change — but one that still allowed us to stay in a creative space, so opening an art gallery felt like a natural fit. Dean has since moved into being a full-time artist, while still supporting the gallery with all of our design work.
Galleries can sometimes get a hard time, with a reputation for being “highbrow”, so we were really focused on creating a relaxed and welcoming space where people could enjoy the art without feeling like they needed to know about artists and where they could openly ask questions. Having an art gallery in a village near the beach has also been a dream come true. There’s now myself and three part-timers.
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How much time and money have you invested?
It wasn’t overly significant to start with. Because of the challenges of the last several years, including the pandemic and subsequent economic climate, we have invested a little more financially than we originally intended.
Until about a year or 18 months ago, I was working seven days a week, often in the evenings, and I still work six days a week. The silver lining of challenging times is that you look at things differently, and figure out what can be delegated to your team, what can change, and how to pivot. That has taken hours of not just work, but planning as well.
What’s the biggest issue impacting your industry?
Having a pandemic hit a year after we opened our doors — followed by the cost of living crisis and recession — has been our biggest challenge. Understandably, people have been cautious about spending on luxury goods during these uncertain times.
In February 2020, we had to shut down just days after a major solo show opened, and at that point we didn’t even have a website. But we managed to sell out the show through social media and email. We quickly built a website after that.
Like many galleries, and retail stores, we are now seeing loyal customers who have formed the habit of not spending over the past few years. We need positive media, good news stories and growing confidence to help those loyal clients — and new ones — feel relaxed enough to buy the things they love. We firmly believe in working through challenges, and often being forced by circumstance to see things differently, is where the gold lies.
What’s the biggest challenge your business is facing?
The same as that faced by anyone selling luxury goods. Last year a lot people had no money. We’ve pivoted a lot because of that, but now is the time for consumers to support local. While the lure of overseas purchases, be it cheaper options like Temu, or other big chain stores, loving your local means they are there tomorrow.
It has been a rough time for more than five years. Small business owners have done it tough and we know lots of people love to head to their local villages and wander the stores, boutiques, grab a coffee at their favourite cafes. But if you buy from the big stores, we run the risk of the great local options not being there. New Zealand has been built on small and often innovative businesses. Local is where a sense of community is built.
What’s next for Turua Gallery?
We plan a year out. In August each year I plan the exhibitions for the next year. We have more exhibitions and events coming up. Our first exhibition for 2026, Drift, opens on Friday February 13, and at the same time we’ll be celebrating seven years in business.
We’re continuing to look at how we can do things differently and keep evolving. We love hosting off-site events and have one with Racheal Mayne coming up in March. We’re also planning more workshops, something we introduced last year.
In three years’ time you will be …
We’re hoping we will be bigger, both in our physical and online presence. We'd love to have a larger space where we have an exhibition space that changes out regularly.
What’s one thing you wish you’d known before starting the business?
You'd probably think it would be to know what was coming a year after we opened with pandemic and all that came with it, but I am so pleased we didn’t - it would have made us nervous. This way we had to roll with it and figure out how to adapt.
I wish I had had a better knowledge and understanding of social media. It has become a central tool in how we communicate with our community and it was a steep learning curve. Instagram is such a great way to connect and showcase the gallery and artworks in a beautiful way, but you have to keep learning because the powers that be love to change up how to work with the algorithm.
Most helpful piece of advice you have ever received?
Just before we were about to push the go button on the gallery, a very good friend said, “Be brave — you’ll never regret it.” He was so right. We’ve reminded ourselves of those words many times over the past seven years.
If you would like your business to feature in The Small Business Project, email Aimee Shaw at aimee.shaw@stuff.co.nz