Shopping Insight: Shoptiques

I love to shop. That's no heavily guarded secret. But I always feel a bit jealous of all the people in cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, who seem to have a plethora of boutiques to choose from at their disposal. I love the idea that you can get some fun pieces that you can't find at mass distributed chain stores.

I don't know of many boutiques where I live. It could be my fault, perhaps I'm not looking hard enough. But I look forward to shopping in boutiques when I visit cities that have a lot of them and are easily accessible. I happen to love Magazine Street in New Orleans and the fun shops I've stumbled upon in the French Quarter.

With my quick business trip to New York on the horizon, I've been bemoaning to the hubs that I'm a bit bummed I don't get more time to explore because I'd love to find some cool boutiques. And being the thoughtful man that he is, he came home the other day and proudly showed me a new website where I could shop far away boutiques from the comfort of my couch!

And ladies, I'm going to share that with you. If you haven't heard of it already, check out Shoptiques. I was so thrilled with all the finds. Yes, some things are pricey, but they do have a range of products at different price points. I'm currently totally excited about this marine stripped sweater from a boutique in Miami called Prinzzesa. I love that it's a cotton blend and not polyester and the price is quite fair!

Stripped Cotton Blend Blazer $47

I'll spare you another long post filled with pictures of things I liked, mostly because it would be epic! But the options for great buys seems endless. I mean, just check out all the cities participating. Another thing I really like is that returns are always free. I mean, you don't get to try things on, and if you're not familiar with the store, things might not fit as well. So I think this is a great practice that would keep me coming back. By the way, shipping is free on orders of $100 or more. You can even contact Shoptiques and get style advice.

I'm totally head over heels with this site. I can finally have access to new stores and find them all in one convenient place. I'm definitely going to give it a shot and place some orders.

What do you think of this site? Are you excited to venture away from the typical chain stores? to find some more unique pieces? (Not that I don't love my frequented spots too, but I'm excited to venture out). After you visit, tell me what you're favorite boutiques are. And if you happen to be a local in a city that isn't boutique deprived, tell me about your favorite and share their site with me (if they have one)!