When Laurie Kearney first came to town, the Ghost Gallery was a way to get her feet wet in the art business while meeting people. In 2006, she started a business of curating art shows at locations around the city. She didn’t have a space to call her own at the time, so she went with the name Ghost Gallery.

By 2010, she was ready to put down some roots and opened a proper gallery in a nook hidden behind a fence and through a courtyard at the corner of E Olive Way and Summit. Five years later, she’s surprised the Ghost has stuck around.

“It’s definitely exceeded my expectations,” she said.

The gallery had been home to a different gallery called Crawl Space, a sort of art collective. Kearney said she benefitted from coming in after Crawl Space had already established the location.

It was a bit of rough sledding at the start, Kearney noted 2010 was not an ideal time to open a business, but she’s been able to keep the gallery open, and thriving.

“It’s taken time for that visibility to grow,” she said.

She has grown it by keeping a rotating roster of artists. The gallery changes out its shows monthly, and Kearney said she likes to have a smaller, three-day show between the month-long ones. She can effectively double the number of artists she shows, and the shorter span can allow her to present newer artists, or artists just starting a series and looking for some feedback.

When choosing which artists to show, Kearney said she tends to shy away from trendy topics, and tries to find artists who are pushing boundaries in their medium.

“As simple as it sounds, I go with my gut,” she said.

She also has the freedom to do experiment. She’s excited about a project she doing this year where through October — all of the artists she shows will be people who identify as female. She said she has received email from artists around the world.

“It made me realize this was needed,” Kearney said.

Beyond that, she’s already got shows booked through February 2016, but she still loves getting pitches from new artists. Kearney advises budding artists to take the time to research the galleries they’re trying to get into before they submit. She also likes to see a clean, well-curated and current presence online and in social media. Those touches of professionalism matter, and she advises any artist not to be bashful about finding someone to help them with things like building a website.

In addition to the monthly, larger format sections on the walls, Kearney has what she calls a mini-art studio, which houses, well, mini-art, from artists around the world.

While the bulk of the art is solo shows featuring the visual arts, she will sometimes do a thematic show, or branch out. The gallery also sells handmade jewelry, which allows people to buy a piece of original artwork at a lower price point. She’s hosted musicians — Damien Jurado played there once to a packed house — and even wedding receptions.

Expanding the business model further, about two years ago, her friend Jess Rainbolt brought her ReRunRoom Vintage furniture to be part of the shop.

Kearney is mostly optimistic about the changes coming to the neighborhood. She said she feels lucky to have her space. Its relative seclusion, while making it a challenge to find, also puts it in a place unlikely to be redeveloped anytime soon.

While she said she has been sad to see friends move off the hill, Kearney has also been excited by some of the newcomers. She acknowledges that there have been problems such as higher rents and more crimes, hate crimes in particular. But she’s quick to point out that not all the new people are bad people.

“There’s this whole crop of new people,” Kearney said. “They’re kind, and they’re just out exploring their neighborhood.”

Kearney is excited about ways she might expand her business in the years to come. She’s looking to evolve the gallery and increase its online presence. She’s continued her off-site curating, and is hoping to expand it. She’d also like to open a second location, likely a bit airier, which could allow for more large-format pieces and possibly more video arts.

Ghost Gallery is located at 504 E Denny Way, though the entrance faces Summit and Olive. Hours are Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can learn more at ghostgalleryart.com.