Neighbourhood art goes digital — new features for artists and businesses
By Herehood Team
From automated verification to mobile notifications, Herehood is making it easier for artists to get their work on walls and businesses to discover talent nearby.
Art has always lived in neighbourhoods. In the café on the corner, the bookshop two streets over, the hair salon you pass every week. It has been there for decades — painted, framed, hung by someone who knew someone. Herehood is trying to make that same thing happen more easily, in more places, for more people.
This month we shipped a handful of changes that matter most to the people using the platform every day.
ABN verification for businesses
Businesses can now verify their Australian Business Number directly on Herehood. It takes less than a minute and uses the official check-digit algorithm — no external database call, no waiting on approvals. Once verified, a small shield appears next to the business name on any space listing. Artists know they are dealing with a registered business. Businesses get a cleaner profile. Nobody has to take anyone's word for it.
Two-factor authentication
Security matters when people are buying and selling original artwork. Artists and businesses can now enable TOTP two-factor authentication from their security settings. Scan a QR code with any authenticator app and the account is protected. This is standard practice for platforms handling real money, and Herehood should be no different.
Mobile notifications
The Herehood mobile app now asks for notification permission once — after onboarding, after sign-in. When a space request is accepted, when an artwork sells, when an open call is closing — artists and businesses hear about it without having to check the app. The app stores each device token in the profile so we can reach people where they actually are.
Art walks by suburb
Every suburb where local businesses are displaying artwork now has its own page at herehood.com.au/art-walks. These pages are built for people who want to walk around a neighbourhood and actually find the art — not just browse online. No gallery ticket. No appointment. Just walk in during business hours.
The platform is still early. The database has over seventy migrations. The test suite has over two hundred tests. There are ninety-three routes and growing. None of that matters to an artist hanging their first piece in a local café, or to the café owner who wanted something on the wall but did not know where to start.
That is still the thing we are building toward.