Meet Niki Little of The Little Art Bus in Fort Worth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niki Little.

Niki, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started out doing commissioned watercolor illustrations about 4 years ago and opened an Etsy shop. I learned how to make prints and started going to local pop up markets.

After discovering I was pretty good at Pet Portraits, I decided I wanted to try to be a full time Artist. I left my retail management job to work the front desk at a car dealership while I focused on painting and ways to get more exposure. I was coming up on a year at the car dealership and that was my deadline for going full time with Art.

I decided there was just no way I could paint enough portraits to provide the second income our household needed and provide health insurance. Since my husband’s family owns a chain of daycare centers, I decided to ask if it would be possible for me to bring supplies and do Art activities with the kids. It worked out great but I wanted my own space where I didn’t have to haul heavy bins around, etc.

The schools used to have a Tumble Bus that came every month. I thought, well wouldn’t that be cool if I could have an Art Bus? The family eventually found out about my idea, thought it was genius, gave me a business loan and here we are!

In my search for some visual inspiration I found Party Junkies https://www.party-junkies.com/ in California. I love their bus!

Has it been a smooth road?
It has been pretty smooth. I would say the hardest thing was figuring out how to do the insurance for a converted bus that is not an RV and then finding a company to provide insurance. This is such a new concept, companies have no idea what it is and just reject it immediately.

We were fortunate enough to meet our new friends at Chopper Supply and Panther City Fabrication who did the floor and tables for us at no cost except materials. Also, a lot of our family have started very successful small businesses. They’ve helped us every step of the way! Without our friends and family, this whole adventure would have been much harder and probably wouldn’t have turned out nearly as nice!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Little Art Bus – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Little Art Bus is a mobile Art Studio. We provide Art Workshops and painting parties for most ages. We are also now renting out to other local Artists and Makers that need an affordable space to host their own workshops.

So far, we are most known for the painting parties and workshops, however, it is only our 3rd month to be up and running with the bus. We hope to become a more popular space for workshop collaborations with other small businesses in the future.

As a company, we’re most proud of being able to make such a new idea and concept come to life. I’m extremely grateful to have a strong support system that has been as excited about my vision as I am.

The focus we have on bringing art to kids at a very early age and the many different options we provide is a little different than your standard painting parties. Also, I think the bus itself sets us apart from other similar businesses. How many Tiffany blue Art Buses are rolling around DFW? Anywhere?

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I grew up in Houston and always felt out of place. I think it’s easy to feel that way in such a big city. I still get overwhelmed by all the traffic and long distances to get anywhere when I go visit.

I love that DFW has so many neat cities so close together. I feel much more connected to everything here and in my opinion, there’s a much more laid back vibe here. Especially in Fort Worth. After moving away for a couple of years, I learned that I never need to move away again.

What I like least about Dallas is how congested it has become. My least favorite thing about Fort Worth is not enough really good Mexican/Tex Mex restaurants or Chinese delivery. There is seriously not one good Chinese restaurant that delivers to my area. It’s just not right.

Pricing:

• Kids Paint Party (ages 4+) $300 for up to 10 guests, $25 each additional (all supplies included)
• Adult Paint Party $250 for up to 10 guests. $25 each additional (all supplies included)
• Rent The Bus to host your own workshop or class $150 for 2 hours.
• Trip fee of $25 added for any location over 25 miles from The Little Art Bus home.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ellieblittle.com/pages/the-little-art-bus
• Phone: 214-517-2567
• Email: thelittleartbus@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittleartbus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelittleartbus/

Image Credit:
Gladys Razo

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