Grechen’s Closet used to be comprehensive online shopping resource, with new online boutiques added almost everyday, new designers, and lists & lists of cool shopping sites. Over the last few years, I haven’t been able to keep up with all the boutique closings and openings and it’s been quite a while since any of my Shopping Sites lists were updated. So I started to work on that today. It’s going to take me a LONG time to go through them all and make sure they’re current, but I hope they will once again be good resources for browsing new boutiques & designers online.
Anyway, as I was going through the lists, I took a trip down memory lane: remember girlshop? blaec? when shopbop was not a MEGA-site? ravinstyle? active endeavors?? I miss a lot of those sites, but so much has changed online since 2004; the shopping environment is different and competition is so fierce that only the strong can really survive.
And many boutiques and designers have riden out the wave. Shopbop is really my favorite example of an small online shop that evolved from a cool place to shop, but still small, to one of the top online shopping destinations (being purchased by Amazon didn’t hurt). And quite a few of the jewelry designers and sites I used to stalk post about are still around – for example, we dream in colour:
I always loved their more unique pieces and how much fun they had with their jewelry – I’m glad to see they’re still around 🙂
What online shops that have closed do YOU miss? Do you remember online shopping’s “early” days?
Wow, I used to shop all of those sites. You brought back a lot of memories. Remember the way Blaec sort of had that “window-shopping” thing, with the mannequins that you scrolled across? I loved that. Such a unique way to display the product. Also miss Active Endeavors, good service, great selection. And ravinstyle, with their “what style of girl are you” thing they did with their merchandising. I miss them all:(
Oh! I forgot ravinstyle’s style suggestions!! Thy were such pioneers LOL. I miss a lot of the old sites…
I used to shop those, too. And Olive and Bette’s. OrgHipChick??