We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Norman Renglich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Norman below.
Norman, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea started in 2017, after I attended a house party where local artists were showcasing their work to invited guests. I remember lying in bed afterward, contemplating how much unseen local art must exist in San Antonio. I searched online for over an hour, trying to find one place where I could view and purchase local art—and found nothing centralized or convenient. The very next morning, I decided to build it myself.
We launched the San Antonio Artists Collective as an online gallery platform. It gave local artists a place to be discovered and buyers a way to shop for original, hand-painted work by people in their own community. That was the spark. Years later, we expanded into physical gallery spaces as the San Antonio Artists Collective and then rebranded as Doriva Local Art Source in 2025, and are now launching a franchise model so this concept can thrive in other cities too.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Norman Renglich, and I’m the founder of Doriva Local Art Source. We’re an art gallery and online platform dedicated to showcasing original, hand-painted, local art by living artists. Our mission is to make it easy for people to discover and collect authentic, one-of-a-kind art created by artists in their own communities.
We provide a curated space—both in-person and online—where buyers can explore a diverse range of styles and connect with the unique stories behind each work. Our galleries are designed to be welcoming and approachable, encouraging people to engage with art in a personal, meaningful way.
What truly sets us apart is our focus on local. Every artist we work with lives and creates in the region we serve. We take pride in knowing them, sharing their stories, and helping customers appreciate the value of owning art that’s truly one-of-a-kind and rooted in their own community.
I’m especially proud of the impact we’ve had on both artists and buyers. Many artists have expanded their reach and built confidence in sharing their work, while customers get the joy of discovering art that resonates with them on a personal level.
As we continue to grow, we’re offering franchise opportunities so others can bring this approach to their own communities—through retail storefronts that reflect and celebrate local art and culture..
At its core, Doriva Local Art Source is about connection: connecting artists and collectors, supporting creativity, and enriching communities through original, locally made art.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Yes—Doriva Local Art Source began as a side project and grew into my full-time focus.
I spent nearly 30 years working in the automotive aftermarket industry before I started exploring this idea in my spare time. In 2017, I launched what was then called the San Antonio Artists Collective as an online gallery. It was something I worked on evenings and weekends—recruiting local artists, building the website myself using GoDaddy, and managing all the listings.
The first big milestone was launching our initial website and making our very first sale. That early validation was incredibly motivating and proved that there was a real demand for authentic local art.
Next came trying a weekend pop-up at The Village at Stone Oak. It started as an experiment—just to see if people would respond to seeing the art in person. The response was so positive that the mall kept extending us until we eventually signed a longer-term lease. That experience was a turning point that convinced me there was real potential to make this more than a hobby.
When my department was eliminated after a corporate acquisition, I decided to focus on the art business full-time. We expanded into additional physical locations, including North Star Mall and The Shops at La Cantera, while also investing in a custom-built online platform to better support our growing artist roster and e-commerce sales.
Another major milestone was rebranding from San Antonio Artists Collective to Doriva Local Art Source. That change allowed us to move beyond being tied to one city and set the stage for our current franchise model, which lets others replicate this approach in their own communities.
What started as a side hustle has now become a mission-driven business that supports local artists, connects them with buyers, and helps make original art accessible and celebrated in every community we serve.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One moment that stands out is when we lost one of our gallery locations due to circumstances beyond our control. The mall had no available space for us to renew our lease, and despite our success there, we had to pack up and leave.
It was a tough blow, both financially and emotionally. We had built up strong customer relationships and had local artists counting on that exposure and those sales. Shutting down even temporarily felt like we were letting them down.
But instead of giving up or getting discouraged, we treated it as an opportunity to rethink and improve our approach. We focused on strengthening our other location, invested in our online platform to make it even more seamless, and deepened our communication with the artists to keep them engaged and supported.
We didn’t let the setback define us. We used it to get sharper, more flexible, and better prepared for the challenges that come with retail spaces—especially in environments like shopping malls that are constantly evolving.
Looking back, that experience taught me the importance of staying adaptable and optimistic even when plans fall apart. It reinforced that resilience in business isn’t just about surviving tough moments—it’s about using them to get stronger and deliver on your mission even more effectively.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://localartsource.com
- Instagram: @dorivalocalartsource
- Facebook: @dorivalocalartsource
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/doriva-local-art-source/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dorivalocalartsource
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/doriva-local-art-source-san-antonio
