LILY ANN:
Shopikon is one hell of an ambitious project started by three friends—Phillip, Oliver, and Nora. While traveling in Tokyo, Phillip came up with the idea of bringing a service to people that didn’t yet exist: a guide to local shops in the major cities of the world that culturally defined each city and gave it its individual flavor. The idea was proposed to Oliver and Nora and as luck had it, all three friends were ready to start a new stage in their lives and move on to do something new. Shopikon was born!

After literally visiting thousands of stores in New York City, Vienna, and Barcelona (so far), the team was able to compile a vast collection of photographs and reviews on local stores ranging from cheese shops to fashion boutiques. “All the stores have been carefully selected and documented—definitely no copy/pasting from the internet here!” says Oliver.

Upcoming cities are London, Paris, and Berlin. Also in development are iPhone Apps to be released very soon. Why not check out the site for yourself?