The Best Websites You've (Probably) Never Heard Of: Stores & Sites General Features: luckymag.com

1

1st in Games

Click here for the most fun, amazingly comprehensive—and nostalgia-inducing—stockpile of vintage board games on the Web. The offerings, culled over the past decade by an Arizona-based husband and wife, range from classics like Clue to more obscure titles, including the '70s-era Los Angeles Scene (where players compete to become a union leader, a politician, or a producer) or Challenge the IRS (the goal: avoid paying taxes).
1stingames.com

2

Basic Boutique

Simple and straightforward, this new site sells only the most timeless, flourish-free picks from on-the-cusp labels. Whether it's a tiered black silk Vena Cava shift, a gray voile Karen Walker top, a Grace Sun wool peacoat, or an Alexander Wang cashmere sweater dress, all of the garments at Basic are selected for their enduring chicness and quiet allure.
basicboutique.com

3

Blurb

With the same appeal as the hugely popular PhotoStamps—those U.S. Postal Service?authorized stamps that you can customize with your own pics—Blurb is due to be the next big trend in personalization: It allows you to make a linen-bound, professional-quality book for next to nothing. Upload the free software, import your images, play with layouts, and create a bespoke volume; the end result is ready in about a week and looks as sleek as anything you'd pull off a Barnes & Noble shelf. Prices start at just $12.95—and there's no minimum per order.
blurb.com

4

Branch Home

Cofounded by a former Greenpeace exec and a onetime graphic designer for both Spy and Wired magazines, this slick site presents goods that are as beautifully designed as they are eco-friendly. Browse for flexible cork stools, modular 3-D paper wall tiles, reclaimed sailcloth totes, and cat trees so cool that even the petless will want them (the neon-accented, angular cardboard pieces look more like sculpture than scratching posts).
branchhome.com

5

Circa Lighting

Popular among interior designers but largely unknown to those outside the industry, this Savannah, Georgia?based lighting resource turns out stunning, high-quality reproduction fixtures. Its more than 500 period-specific styles all have a sense of old-fashioned glamour, from gorgeously weighty brass longshoreman-style lanterns to weathered mirrored Mexican star pendants and cut-crystal art deco table lamps.
circalighting.com

6

Corolla Cream

Operating out of the seaside hamlet of Kent, England, this site has a simple yet captivating look. It organizes its carefully picked new and vintage jewelry, clothing, and tabletop goods according to color, and only a minimum of text is employed, which allows the lush images to speak for themselves. Fittingly, many of the offerings have an appealing British eccentricity, like a bib-ish pastel wood-bead necklace, or a mushroom-shaped porcelain money box. Shipping to the States is easy: There's a flat $20 fee, and orders are processed within 24 hours.
corollacream.co.uk

7

Curiosity Shoppe Online

A little over a year old, this engaging site is dedicated to offbeat gifts with a retro-rustic charm. Its folksy-looking home page groups together items under an inspired theme; at press time, it focused on the great outdoors. For example: dessert plates featuring classic camping imagery (a pup tent, a roaring fire), a teensy bronze hedgehog necklace, knot-tying and learn-to-whittle kits, and a gouache portrait of a coonskin-capped pioneer.
curiosityshoppeonline.com

8

Day-Lab

Flush with affordable accessories—it's common to find items for under $5—this Baton Rouge, Louisiana?based site is a particularly good source for never-worn vintage jewelry. The selection of monogram pieces is standout: Silver filigree pins, bitsy heart-shaped rings, and chunky carved-Lucite pendants come in an alphabet's worth of initials—and there's even a selection of enameled necklaces, many bearing popular-in-the-'70s names (like Marcia, Jodi, and Leslie). Don't miss Day Lab's new alter ego, night-lab.com, which specializes in unusual items for guys, such as old heraldic crest pins and tees silk-screened with images of clipper ships.
day-lab.com

9

Erie Basin

We're diehard fans of this achingly well-curated Brooklyn jewelry boutique and regularly navigate to its online outpost. As with its bricks-and-mortar shop, the site focuses on exquisite estate and modern-day pieces with a goth-Victoriana influence, from thin-as-a-thread stackable Philip Crangi rings and Scott Stephen tartan-bead strands to pressed horn bracelets and necklaces made from patched-together pocket-watch chains.
eriebasin.com

10

Foundation for Contemporary Arts

This 45-year-old nonprofit arts organization recently put its vast library of for?sale prints, photographs, and posters online. There's an impressive inventory of works by well-known names for surprisingly low sums—perfect for the burgeoning collector who wants to get her hands on a Robert Rauschenberg lithograph, a Kiki Smith woodcut, or a signed Matthew Barney exhibition poster.
foundationforcontemporaryarts.org

11

Gargyle

Its irreverent logo—a mod crest featuring an argyle-like intersection of tennis racquets and golf clubs—is a hint that this just-launched site takes style cues from the sporty leisure of 1950s country clubs. It casts an irreverent spotlight on designers that offer cheeky clothing and accessories with a posh-prep influence, like Camilla and Marc keyhole shifts, L'ecole des Femmes pintucked blouses, Lorick embroidered pencil skirts, and Rachel Comey riding boots.
gargyle.com

12

Hi and Lo Modern

One of the most common frustrations of shopping for antique decor on the Web is the lack of clear photos. Grainy, thumbnail-size shots don't cut it when you're trying to figure out exactly what color that Russel Wright pitcher is or whether those cork table lamps are cool or scary. But at Hi + Lo, it's information overload: Every desirable, clearly depicted item can be viewed at nearly full-page size, which makes it easy to shop with confidence.
hiandlomodern.com

13

Jbox

This San Diego?based Japanese tchotchke importer is thoroughly engrossing: It has thousands of largely functionless yet somehow completely essential trifles, from ninja-sword-shaped earwax extractors to key chains that play the arrival chimes of bullet trains. Jbox is also an expert resource for all those oddities you hear rumors of but can't believe actually exist, like Hello Kitty pollution masks and adhesive leg spray to keep kneesocks in place.
jbox.com

14

Little Paper Planes

Kick-started by Kelly Lynn Jones, a painter living in Los Angeles' hip Silver Lake neighborhood, Little Paper Planes feels like an e-commerce-enabled virtual zine. It promotes the work of other young emerging creative types, and Jones puts nearly as much energy into providing insightful Q-and-A's with her stable of 150 talents as she does in stocking an esoteric range of accessories and artwork, which includes silk-screened totes and charm-flecked chain headbands.
littlepaperplanes.com

15

London Lace

This site (and Boston store) is steadfastly dedicated to one thing: gorgeous antique-inspired lace window treatments. For the past 28 years, owner Diane Loesch-Jones has been working with centuries-old Scottish lace-making mills—two of the last remaining in the world—which weave an abundance of affordable panels and valences, many specifically for her store.
londonlace.com

16

Luxe Paperie

The past five years have seen a boom in hip stationery, from whimsical wedding invitations to subversive greeting cards-—but there's a fine line between amusing and contrived. Luxe only carries paper goods that have both personality and broad appeal, including retro Sidepony cards scripted with witty messages, Carrot & Stick leopard-print letterpress notebooks, argyle-pattern boxed note sets, and vibrant Snow & Graham anemone-print wrapping paper.
luxepaperie.com

17

Magma Books

Beloved by graphic designers, illustrators, and others employed in the visual arts, this online outpost for the famed London-based bookstore Magma is an insider source for obscure, riveting volumes on everything from international street fashion to photos of Pyongyang. Recently, it has introduced jewelry and home goods, like paint-by-number wallpaper and tablecloths printed with lines that indicate where dishes and silverware go. Shipping starts at $16 for any one item, regardless of weight.
magmabooks.com

18

Mahar Dry Goods

Everything at this imaginative, child-centric destination is carefully vetted, whether it's a strand of gingham-cloth pennants or a set of colorful, hand-crocheted doughnuts—and has an appeal that goes way beyond kids. Fittingly, the site is the creation of a former contemporary art appraiser, and a curatorial approach has been applied to the selection of the affordable, limited-edition items—many of which are Mahar-exclusive collaborations with emerging West Coast artisans.
mahardrygoods.com

19

Maiden

If you're in the market for earthy goods with a luxe, handcrafted feel, few spots can match Maiden. Operating out of London's posh-bohemian Primrose Hill neighborhood, the site offers pieces like sequined Moroccan wedding blankets, knit jute market bags, elegant feather dusters, and gourd-shaped mercury-glass lamps.
maiden-uk.com

20

Minimus

Few things are more infuriating than having your contact lens solution or just-purchased bottle of moisturizer confiscated by airport security. To prevent future frustration, navigate to enterprising Minimus, which offers hundreds of three?ounce-or-less personal-care products, from toothpaste to deodorant—and strives to find highly specific products that are elusive even on drugstore shelves, like bitsy cans of Static Guard and miniature Evian face misters.
minimus.biz

21

Net Granny

This ingenious site lets you choose a real-life Swiss grandmother to custom-knit you a pair of socks. Click through photos and select a crafter (we're especially fond of sweet-looking, silver-haired Annie, who says she knits to stay awake while watching TV), place your order, and then wait a few weeks for an airmail package to arrive. There are a couple of drawbacks: The site is all in German (but features a translate-to-English function), and the exchange rate is abysmal—but if you ask us, there's no more entertaining way to spend $45.
netgranny.ch

22

Poppytalk Handmade

Last year we wrote about how the highly regarded interiors blog Design Sponge had spawned an online boutique—the first blog we'd seen do so—and we've since watched more venture into retail. One of the most successful is much-loved craft blog Poppytalk's new e-commerce spin-off, which culls an extraordinary spectrum of wares from homespun talents across the country, like scrap-paper mobiles by Oregon's Frazier & Wing and bird-motif pewter measuring spoons by Massachusetts' Beehive Kitchenware.
poppytalkhandmade.com

23

P.O.S.H. Chicago

Overseas flea markets aren't the bargain-rich hunting grounds they once were, which is what makes P.O.S.H. so notable: Its owners manage to find the most incredible pieces in European and South American markets—gilded coronation dishware, elaborate brass candelabras, colorful seltzer bottles, striped linen tea towels—then return home and sell them at startlingly fair prices. Antique English hotel silver is a particular specialty; a quick glance at the domed serving platters and finely etched teapots is enough to compel you to throw a six-course dinner party.
poshchicago.com

24

Posh Vintage

Awash with vibrant multiple-view images of each garment and crisp, information-rich layouts—complete with detailed measurements—this Miami-based vintage clothing boutique is as devoted to great presentation as it is to sourcing high-caliber designer pieces (expect names like Jean Muir, Thea Porter, Holly Harp, and Ossie Clark).
poshvintage.com

25

Purl

Knitters and crocheters go nuts over this famed New York City yarn store. It offers non-synthetic, high-quality skeins from small weavers, and simplifies the search process by allowing shoppers to search by brand, fiber, or thickness. Quilters swear by Purl for its carefully curated assortment of fabrics, from Liberty florals to calicos (including prints from dozens of notable textile designers).
purlsoho.com

26

ReForm School Rules

Designed around a campy academia-gone-awry theme, this entertaining gift site features a home page that depicts the cover of a lovingly abused notebook—complete with animated doodles—and sorts its merchandise into witty categories like "Organic Chemistry" (bath and body products) and "Locker Room" (bags and jewelry). Click through the cartoon-scrawled, graph-paper pages and shop for Brickhouse tea scrubs, photo books on tree houses and yurts, and old-fashioned Jorg & Olif Dutch-style city bicycles, which are newly available in the States.
reformschoolrules.com

27

Remix Vintage Shoes

Operating out of Los Angeles, Remix is devoted to dead-stock vintage footwear from the 1920s to the '70s—for years its shoes have been favored by swing dancers and rockabilly fans and have shown up in movies like Boogie Nights and Saving Private Ryan. As word of its trove has spread, it has started replicating its most popular styles (we especially favor the perforated oxfords and Mary Jane sandals), thoughtfully keeping prices under $200.
remixvintageshoes.com

28

Remo General Store

Shoppers from all over the world browse this slightly bonkers Australian site—a sort of modern-day five-and-dime—for everything from sleek walkie-talkies and page-a-day Chinese calendars to old-fashioned Italian playing cards and ingenious spider-trapping gadgets. Remo has cultivated such a devoted clientele that it boasts a social-networking component on the site; more than 25,000 customers have signed up to create profiles, compile wish lists, and praise their purchases.
remogeneralstore.com

29

Modify

Stylish, eco-conscious merchandise is the focus here, and every item, whether it's a Perfectly Imperfect organic-cotton trapeze top, Nature Girl sulfate-free shampoo, or a one-of-a-kind chandelier, is produced using energy-efficient, environmentally sensitive methods. To further promote a green lifestyle, Modify posts topical weekly blog entries—and includes a glossary-like primer on all its vendors.
shopmodify.com

30

Spoon Sisters

Run by two siblings—who only refer to themselves as "little" and "big"—this winning gift-goods spot was inspired by their mother, who had a rare talent for picking out perfect presents. Spoon Sisters makes it easy to do the same: Its highly imaginative wares surprise and delight, whether it's a shoe-shaped door stopper, a cup with a nose printed on the side (when you take a sip, it appears as if you've acquired a new proboscis), or a maze-like pan that bakes brownies into a squiggly shape to create a maximum of tasty crispy edges.
spoonsisters.com

31

Thorsten van Elten

For the past five years, keen-eyed Londoner Thorsten van Elten has championed maverick young product designers. An early fan of collectives like Established & Son and Qubus Design Studio, he's currently promoting Barnaby Barford (hand-tufted world-map rugs), Arash and Kelly (end tables topped with giant pads of sticky notes), and Dickens & Wilson (simple glass tables with origami-like interlocking steel legs).
thorstenvanelten.com

32

Three Potato Four

Sort of a hip general store, Three Potato Four makes searching for the unusual and well-crafted a deeply rewarding endeavor. The frequently replenished site boasts difficult-to-find retro items (reconditioned 1940s rotary telephones, mounted carvings of sperm whales, old classroom maps) and captivating modern-day trinkets (rustic wood letters, tiny cactus-filled terrariums).
threepotatofourshop.com

33

Truefaux

When it comes to costume jewelry, it's often the least costumey pieces that have the most enduring appeal. Canadian retailer Truefaux understands that and for the past 20 years has been offering only the most stunning and timeless styles (there are more than 15,000 to choose from). Current favorites include a quilted Lucite cuff bracelet and delicate jet chandelier earrings.
truefaux.com

34

Uzbek Craft

Coveted by decorators, good-quality suzanis—lavish silk-embroidered tapestries from Central Asia—are hard to find in the States (and often prohibitive). But now you can order direct from the source: This Uzbekistan-based exporter sells a bounty of the intricate handstitched swaths and has turned them into blankets and pillows. In the spirit of wanting to create a souk-like shopping experience, it even encourages bargaining—and shipping takes a mere 10 days.
uzbek-craft.com

35

V & J Duncan

The online arm of this established Savannah, Georgia, antique map and print store is an esteemed resource for coat-of-arms prints, 18th- and 19th?century botanical engravings, mezzotints of European royalty, and antique maps for all 50 states. We fantasize about buying up a batch of its Audubon lithographs—we're especially fond of one that depicts a posturing ocelot—and hanging them in a cluster above our couch.
vjduncan.com

36

Vinçon

This celebrated Spanish retailer believes great design should be both compelling and accessible. It wholeheartedly promotes this philosophy through irreverent, affordable products—decorative electrostatic panels to stick on the front of your washing machine, hair combs with wild-looking teeth—and reasonable worldwide shipping. One of Vinçon's most peculiar and voyeuristic features is the "least sold" area, which tracks the site's most unpopular items.
vincon.com

37

Vintage Sunglasses

Straight out of Berlin, this stellar 1970s and '80s vintage designer sunglasses resource conveniently lists its prices in dollars, ships worldwide via courier for only $16.50, and turns around orders in a few days. The brands it carries are ones that are quickly climbing into collectible territory—Ted Lapidus, Colani, Paloma Picasso, Carrera, Cazal—and every single pair arrives in pristine, never-worn condition.
vintage-sunglasses-shop.com

38

We Love Colors

Tights are a huge deal this season, and We Love Colors has hit the legwear trifecta: Its styles are absolutely, perfectly opaque; woven of matte, virtually snag-free microfiber; and come in a spectrum of 45 hues. Oh, and they run just $12.50 per pair. Don't miss the "Our Friends" section, where some of the site's more extroverted customers-—jazz dancers, Roller Derby-ers, Mardi Gras revelers—post photos of themselves in the brand's legwear.
welovecolors.com

39

Wow Imports

Nameplate necklaces have reached the point where they're a jewelry-box evergreen. Wow cranks them out in the widest variety of languages, including Russian, Hebrew, Greek, Mandarin, and Urdu. It also offers an assortment of sterling silver monogram pendants for less than $50, including a particularly pretty filigree one that looks like it'd be far more expensive.
wow-imports.com

40

Yes Style

Featuring hundreds of popular, budget-conscious clothing brands from Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, this encyclopedic site is like a portal to another world of on-trend impulse buys. With more than 20,000 pieces to choose from, it's possible to get lost for hours scrolling through page after page of $25 slouchy asymmetric-placket cardigans, $30 buffalo-plaid zip-front jackets, and $40 wool houndstooth patch-pocket shifts. If you spend at least $150—take it from us, not a difficult task—shipping is free.
yesstyle.com

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The Best Websites You've (Probably) Never Heard Of

Our favorite under-the-radar resources for everything from enameled lockets and retro bikes to brass candelabras and designer sunglasses.