Vacant Retail Space Becomes A Blank Canvas For Artists

At the Natick Mall in Massachusetts, among luxury clothing retailers Tory Burch and Louis Vuitton, stands two large glass displays filled with artwork and a colorful sign reading "Buy Art."

Inside the 4K SF space, operated by Zero Empty Spaces, are three artist studios divided by large walls and a "sanctuary area" where artists can relax.

The remnants of the Burberry that once occupied the space can still be seen, including dressing rooms and ample storage once home to clothes and merchandise. Now, that storage houses art supplies and drying work.

ZES co-founders Evan Snow and Andrew Martineau started the company in 2019, first leasing vacant retail space in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Massachusetts studio was the Florida-based company’s first out-of-state location in 2022.

Since then, the company has transformed 33 retail locations into studios totaling 150K SF in partnership with 22 real estate companies.

Not all of the spaces leased have been in high-end shopping centers. ZES seeks to fill space where retail vacancies are high but affordable studio vacancies are low.

"We've been in everything from three-level retail malls, office buildings, pad sites, former Payless shoe stores, banks," Snow said. "It doesn't have to be a vanilla box."

In addition to Massachusetts, ZES operates in Florida and Virginia.

On average, the spaces ZES leases stay filled from 24 to 36 months. Artists pay roughly $300 per month for shared studio space.

The value proposition Snow and Martineau offer landlords is ZES art studios can fill and revitalize vacant retail space, driving foot traffic and attracting attention to potential tenants. Of the 33 locations Martineau and Snow opened, 25 have since been leased by permanent tenants.

ZES began to operate during one of the bleakest times for retail space in U.S. history, the coronavirus pandemic.

Roughly 12,200 stores closed in 2020, leaving behind 159M SF of vacant retail space, according to CoStar. For many landlords, filling up this empty space was a challenge as retail growth only ticked up 0.4% at the end of that year.

For some landlords, hosting artist studio spaces wasn't risky given the lack of other options.

In 2019, Snow and Martineau leased space at 888 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The property, which had been vacant for three years, had 19 unused lots, and the landlord decided to let the company take up space at no cost.

ZES took care of electricity, insurance and maintenance of the space and then leased it out to other artists.

Within the first three months after the studio opened, someone who had walked in off the street decided to sign a retail lease because he said he "liked the buzz and energy in the space," Snow said.

Something similar happened to the second location ZES leased, which had been vacant for five years prior to studio space opening.

What started out as a small venture quickly grew into a business as word of mouth spread and more landlords became interested in hosting ZES studios.

Artists, too, were trying to find affordable workspace, Snow said. They had experienced a 62% unemployment rate during the pandemic, according to Americans For the Arts survey data. Nonprofit arts organizations lost roughly $18B during that time, and local businesses lost about $17.6B in audience ancillary spending due to canceled art shows.

Snow and Martineau didn’t think artist studios would be in such demand, even at an affordable price, given the economic conditions of the arts scene during the pandemic. Instead, artists starving for community were eager to sign leases.

“We thought, 'They’re not going to want to pay, they're not going to want to come in,' but on the contrary, artists really wanted to get out of the house," Snow said.

ZES has since hosted over 700 artists in the past five years, providing affordable art space at a time when the cost of safe, stable studios has increased drastically due to a lack of new development and rising rents.

The studio operator has worked with several large companies, including Simon Property Group, Brookfield Properties, Affiliated Development and The Las Olas Co.

These studios average 5K SF, with the largest totaling 9K SF at Design Centers Of The Americas in Dania Beach, Florida.

ZES can usually get a space open within three days after permitting and leasing are complete due to its modular design for space.

ZES plans to expand into other markets in 2026 with scheduled openings in Berkeley, California; Minneapolis; Chicago; Milford, Connecticut; Arlington, Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia; and Santa Monica, California.

"The interest we're getting from developers and property owners and cities, all looking to be able to activate space, it really gives us the opportunity to be able to build a business where the primary goal is … to create space for people to generate income and grow in a more cohabitating environment," Martineau said.

ZES also has plans to pilot other uses, including affordable workforce housing, mixology academies and co-retailing spaces.