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Credit: Courtesy of Gabriel Tao<\/p>\nCredit: Courtesy of Gabriel Tao<\/p>\n
Gabriel Tao can make even a door to the IRS lead to a world of whimsy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the Tampa artist\u2019s website<\/a>, visitors are given a choice of four doors: each promoting one of his businesses, and one last portal labeled \u201cI Don\u2019t Like Fun.\u201d Clicking the later instantly redirects the user to the Internal Revenue Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n That playful, slightly subversive commitment to the bit is central to Tao\u2019s Little Door Collection, a viral project that has evolved from a personal marketing tool into a high-concept branding service for Tampa Bay businesses.<\/p>\n Using his background in 3D printing, Tao now creates meticulously designed, 4.5-inch custom doors\u2014each one a subtle, physical advertisement\u2014as a direct response to a digital world he believes is exhausted by online ads.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the most important currency is not money or even time, but attention,\u201d Tao told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. \u201cThis is just my way of captivating people\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Tao began making the doors after realizing he needed a creative way to promote his Cozy AF<\/a> themed Airbnb properties, which include a woodland-themed tiny house<\/a> built from a shipping container, complete with a koi pond, and a school bus converted into a Medusa-themed<\/a> rental with snake art and ornate gold details.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project, which he now calls the Little Door Club, operates on a principle of subtlety. Unlike large-scale murals or billboards, the doors are often intentionally placed where people aren\u2019t looking.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI think now everything is big and in your face. So I wanted it to be subtle and me. I think there\u2019s a reward for those who, you know, notice the small things,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The creation process for each door begins with extensive design work. Tao studies a business\u2019s personality\u2014for a plant shop, a door handle might be a tiny leaf; for a bail bondsman, he envisions a miniature jail cell. He then brings the design to life in his warehouse full of printers.<\/p>\n Tao relies on two main materials: PLA, a biodegradable filament used for indoor displays or temporary outdoor pieces, and the more durable PETG, which can withstand Tampa Bay\u2019s harsh humidity and sun for years.<\/p>\n The most unique aspect of the Little Door Club is its relationship with its audience: the doors often disappear.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m never surprised when people actually take them, which is part of the plan,\u201d Tao admitted. \u201cI leave little messages on the backs so they become personal keepsakes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Tao noted one incident where a person visited Tampa, found and kept a door, only to realize months later\u2014when booking one of Tao\u2019s fairy-themed Airbnbs\u2014that they were the same artist<\/p>\n His new goal, he says, is for his doors to act as physical, collectible business cards. Tao is now focusing on creating a complete branding package for businesses. Tampa Bay businesses with their own little doors include Jolly Green Nursery, Reservoir Bar, Rubicon General Contractors, La Perrada Columbiana, the Aesthetic Portal, and the Green Room, among others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to make every cool business in Tampa Bay part of the Little Door Club,\u201d Tao said.<\/p>\n Ybor City\u2019s Reservoir Bar was one of the first to join the club with the addition of its own Little Door outside the business on E 7th Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something that people see and they\u2019re like \u2018Oh, I want one of those,\u2019\u201d Reservoir bartender Lisa Parisi told CL. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit different\u2014 everybody already has T-shirts and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Tao gifted his friend, CEO of Rubicon Contracting Chris Morgan, a 3D printed door for his office.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHis creativity, his expertise with 3D printing, it\u2019s not just a little door,\u201d Morgan told CL. \u201cI think this is probably step one of something bigger and more elaborate to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Full disclosure: Creative Loafing has also joined the club. When CL approached Tao for this story, he volunteered to make a few 3D-printed doors for the publication. Keep an eye out for them\u2014and CL newspapers\u2014around Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n Recent Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tMore than 70% of Florida SNAP beneficiaries are children, seniors, and people with disabilities.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe chain is giving away freebies for its opening day.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n This article appears in Oct. 30 \u2013 Nov. 5, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t
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