M OV E R S & S H A K E R S
OLGA VIDISHEVA
Shoptiques
Shoptiques is an online curated marketplace bringing one of
a kind merchandise from small boutiques from around the
world to one convenient online home. Using a mixture of
relevant editorial content and social shopping features, the
company helps its community of style conscious consumers
discover not only new stores but new shopping-focused
neighborhoods across the country.
Just this past month Shoptiques launched a new feature on its
website called #shopstagram. is live feed of Instagram
pictures from boutiques and members of the community are
tagged and made shoppable so that customers can buy items
as soon as products arrive in stores.
A potent mix of discovery based shopping, content +
commerce integration, community building, and cultivation
of a highly curated marketplace makes Shoptiques a startup
on the leading edge of fashion tech.
We reached out to the
company’s Founder, Olga
Vidisheva, to discover more.
What inspired you to create Shoptiques?
It all started with a shoe in Paris….
Walking down the streets of Paris, you can’t help but be fascinated
by the fashion, architecture, style and… boutiques! That was really
my first exposure to a tiny boutique with the friendliest, most stylish
owner. It was years ago, but I remember stumbling upon it as if it
was yesterday—and once the owner pointed out a pair of shoes by
Phoebe Cham Pour Schu, I knew I couldn’t leave empty-handed!
Sitting in their beautiful box with a handcrafted bow, they became
the perfect memory to take from Paris.… And take I did!
Upon my return, all of my friends wanted these shoes. The perfect
combination of comfort and high fashion – they were in high
demand. Unfortunately, the boutique owner weren’t receptive to
commerce over the phone, insisting instead, my friends flying to
Paris to get the shoes. I was shocked! In the 21st century, my friends
weren’t able to get shoes from Paris! I knew I needed to change that!
Then later while attending Harvard Business School, my girlfriends
and I would drive to New York almost every weekend to go boutique
shopping in Soho or Lower East Side. I again was shocked that we
had to drive four hours to find these items and couldn’t just purchase
them online. These stores didn’t have any online presence. Boutique
shopping brings with it an amazing experience: beautiful hard-tofind, hand-selected fashion and knowledgeable style advice from the
owners who know how to make you look beautiful and unique.
// 26