Once upon a time, people relied on their favourite high-street stores for their must-have shopping needs. Yet in the modern age, many of these staple stores have been replaced with online alternatives. But what if our online shopping favourites had once lived in the real world?
We decided to bring the charm of the high street to our top five favourite online shopping destinations for a peek behind the curtain of what might have been if these stores had once had brick and mortar premises.
Take our virtual tour around the shop fronts of your favourite online stores and swap opening a new browser window for a little old fashioned window shopping.
Etsy
Wander through the streets of Montmartre in Paris and you may just come across the Etsy shop. Boasting a shabby chic vibe with heaps of bohemian charm, the Etsy store is filled to the rafters with homemade goods and special, one-of-a-kind vintage finds. The cosy Etsy store is haphazardly decorated with arts and crafts that are all for sale, and the local cat is lazing outside. You can’t help but take a look inside, wondering what local art or hidden treasure you might find in amongst the dimly-lit clutter of this Parisian vintage haven.
eBay
Roll up, roll up and visit eBay’s emporium of curiosities. Whatever you want, at whatever price, we’ve got it here inside. No better prices this side of London, or this side of the equator! Turn your unwanted items into gold or pick up a bargain – all our items are going for an absolute steal! From cars to cabinets, cookers to candlesticks, we’ll take ‘em all and sell ‘em all here at eBay. Take a look inside, you never know what treasures you might find from one day to the next. Going once, going twice, sold!
Boohoo
The bright pink neon sign outside the Boohoo store beams down on you. You push open the heavy black door and are greeted by the thumping bass of the music playing inside. As you head further into the Boohoo shop, you discover huge glossy prints featuring models wearing on-trend fashions, mannequins are positioned about the store like pieces in an art gallery to highlight key seasonal pieces. Huge mirrors are placed along the edges of the room, mixed in with light boxes featuring empowering slogans. ‘No regrets’ you say to yourself, rushing to the changing rooms with armfuls of fashion clothing.
Amazon
Everyone knows that the Amazon department store is the world’s biggest shopping destination. Featuring eighteen floors packed with departments from music to computers, pet care to children’s toys, womenswear to home & garden and even the world’s biggest food hall, Amazon is record-breaking in its ability to cater to your every retail need. The building is so huge that there are escalators indoor and outside the building to accommodate shoppers, or you can browse the perimeter of each floor on their futuristic moving walkways.
Zavvi
The jewel of the high street for entertainment lovers, Zavvi is a pop culture mecca amongst the everyday clothing stores. Decked out like the den of your dreams, you know that Zavvi is the place to go to peruse the latest comics, pick up a few movie posters for your room and rent a few movies for the weekend. You stop to play a few classic arcade games before you return your previous DVD rentals and end up whiling away the whole afternoon amongst your favourite superheroes and pop culture icons. (Sure Zavvi are the only retailers from this list that used to have their own store, but doesn’t ours look better?)
Is anyone else feeling nostalgic for the days where you could spend a whole afternoon wandering around the high street for your must-haves? That being said, even though these online heroes don’t hold any offline premises, there’s still some charm to be had from not having to leave your sofa to go on a shopping spree!
