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Is it me or does it seem like all the cute little tchatcke, specialty and doodad stores where one could pick up anything from novelty slippers to handmade Italian salad bowls are extinct everywhere, except major cities and Palm Beach?
Whether it's the shoddy economy (loads of high-end boutiques all over Florida have closed its doors - even affecting the gilded Worth Avenue) or the long shadows of big-box retailers, the shopping landscape has definitely shifted from a decent salad of romaine, a few tomatoes and artichoke hearts - maybe some Feta, to iceberg and carrot shavings. The carrot shavings are convenient stores.
And then there was the I N T E R N E T. Ah yes, cyber shopping - you don't even need to wash your face. You can cover miles of virtual shopping in a fraction of the time it would take you to actually walk to each store. Plus, there's variety. There are housewives in Minnesota who know a guy who knows a guy in Argentina who has a whole warehouse of bathing suits no one in the U.S. is selling. And for $39 plus $9.95 in shipping you can have a unique Argentinian bikini. Without leaving your townhouse in Ocala.
Inspired by all these virtual shops and new-Millennium entrepreneurship, I made up a list of 5 online retailers that deal in the cute and unique. From party supplies to travel goods, each of these shopping sites are loaded with stuff I've yet to see in the more ubiquitous consumer destinations.
Check 'em out, ya'll!
