“What’s the unscalable thing that we can make scalable?” That’s a question that lingered for Andy Blank before he founded the retail art company that bears his name.

Handmade art that is affordable for first-time buyers and suitable to mass consumption has been a tantalizing business idea for decades. In 1962 Sears experimented with the Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art, with work selected by the storied actor and noted art aficionado sold through stores in places like Denver, Hartford, Harrisburg, Madison, and Oklahoma City. In the internet era, companies ranging from eBay and Amazon to various upstart dot-coms have sought out markets for the work of artists thought to be worthy but undiscovered.