Making Money From Lovers

When Miss Francine Taute's father passed away after a long

illness, she had to embark on a business venture that would 'keep

the wolf from the door', although she actually felt as though the

walls of precedence and tradition were tumbling around her proud

young head.

The family had undoubtedly been exceptionally wealthy in the past,

but those days, frankly, are clearly long gone for Miss Taute.

She knew that many of her wealthy family friends were actually

very short of money.

Swearing her first customers to utter secrecy and actually

carrying out her operatings under cover of darkness, she rented

some of their famous paintings, which had hung for years, to a

select clientele of art lovers.

Perhaps really it was for the best, since their beautiful old

houses and contents were already threatened by the invasion of

commerce and industry into this formerly exclusive section of

their major Home Counties city.

At any rate, it was only the beginning for the newly enterprising

Miss Taute, when she found out that more sporting blood flowed

through her aristocratic veins than even she, herself, had

realised.

To the astonishment of the blue-blooded and, to be honest,

somewhat horrified society, she suddenly pitched head over heels

into the operation of the Taute Painting Rental System by buying

good copies of famous paintings and renting them out unashamedly

to the first reliable takers.

Miss Taute, in self-justification, now claims that there should be

no monopoly on art, and that she is doing her part to share its

wealth with others, while at the same time keeping the wolf from

her door.

In any small area, where there is no such painting Rental System,

one would no doubt be profitable and could be started with only a

small initial investment.

You can also operate initially (without up-front funds) as Miss

Taute is doing now - by renting paintings from local artists,

particularly from your local art college and advertising for

nothing in the local arts shops (after all, they're supplying your

artists with their materials), as well as on the notice board of

the local library and art gallery.

Your local newspaper would no doubt be interested in a story also,

and do not expect you to take advertising in return - try the free

local paper first if you have one.

With a minimum of space available for safe storage of the

paintings, it could be operated entirely from your home, with

perhaps a Polaroid camera to give people an idea of the paintings'

range.