Unless you have been living under a very dull uninspiring rock, you would have likely to have heard of Notonthehighstreet.com. An online shop bringing together hundreds of independent shops, and individuals to sell their wares. It’s pretty awesome if you haven’t already browsed it, you can really buy anything. There are some extremely talented people out there. Bloody show offs. 
Anyways, this post is about a similar type of online experience, TROUVA!
I came across this little bundle of joy a few weeks ago whilst searching for new decorative items for the new guest room and wow it’s addictive browsing! The principle of the “store” is to bring the customer a beautiful collection of homewares, gifts and clothing (men, women and kiddies) that you might not always see if you don’t live near these fashionable boutiques, especially if you are outside a major town. And as an added ‘yay’ you are still supporting these small individual shops while getting some pretty beautiful things at the same time. Winning all round right!
“Independent retailers are the life-blood of our high streets, the guardians of individuality, style and self-expression. We are passionate about helping smaller retailers to leverage new technologies and band together to fight back against the larger chains.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself Trouva.
There are 150 boutiques on Trouva, however, they have really kept the feeling of ‘small and local’ to their very user friendly 
site. They have a great community of writers for their blog too which is very busy with all sorts of creative who-ha so get cracking on that too.
Something that seems very unique to this shopping experience, well its unique to me who doesn’t get out much, is the delivery options. It is free for orders over £50 WORLDWIDE! Which is very easy to spend once you have a browse, trust me. Also, if you live in London you can get same day 1 hour slot delivery. Terms and conditions etc apply. Very handy if you are an impatient fool like me. Hum.
Some of my favourite picks:
1) Tree Trunk vase
2) Botanical print
3) The Horse Matte watch
4) Dapper Dog
5) Norman Copenhagen Clock
Trouva also feature some of the works by our very own home grown That Design Store, which I reviewed last year. Exciting times for Oliver I can imagine.
So why pick Trouva over Notonthehighstreet? Well, it’s pretty simple really. Trouva feels like they care. Yes, I know that sounds a bit fluffy, but it really feels more personal. Just looking at their mission statement I am already on-board with their ethos.
Nice work Trouva!