The eBay Inspiration Shop: Putting the "Shop" in Window Shopping

By Bee-Shyuan Chang
October 21, 2011

Inspiration Shop

The eBay and Jonathan Adler Inspiration Shop on Park Avenue in Manhattan. (photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for eBay)

If traditional window shopping isn't always so satisfying, then here's a new take on the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" pastime: Launched to much fanfare last night, eBay's new Inspiration Shop is comprised solely of shoppable windows straddling the corner of Park Avenue and East 28th Street in NYC. While there are no racks (or even floor space), shoppers can buy similar products to those on displaying by downloading the eBay mobile application and then scanning the Quick Response codes on the windows.

Inspiration Shop

The Bay Inspiration Shop (photos by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for eBay)

And what, exactly, is in those windows? They're stocked with covetable items selected by nearly 30 tastemakers, including Molly Sims, Coco Rocha, Charlotte Ronson and Lake Bell, who all stopped in to celebrate the opening. "I just got married and I needed some new things, so I picked a laptop," said Sims, who recently wed film producer Scott Stuber. "But I've been using eBay for seven to eight years now. I've gotten a lot of home stuff just because if you see it, you want it... I got a painting of this old man in glasses—he's just so cool—and I got picture frames."

Actress Lake Bell, designer and curator Jonathan Adler, designer Charlotte Ronson and model Molly Sims at eBay and Jonathan Adler's launch of The eBay Inspiration Shop at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel. (photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for eBay)

Barneys' Creative Ambassador Simon Doonan, designer and curator Jonathan Adler and Nicholas Graham. (photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for eBay)

The eBay Inspiration Shop launch party at the Gansevoort Park Avenue.

Bell also had shopping prowess to spare. "This was a purchase from eBay," the actress said of her Isabel Marant shimmery gold print frock. "I'm a pretty solid eBay shopper. I'm into the 'Buy It Now' because I'm not someone who likes to wait. I have lots of anxiety, nail-biting."

The selected products were rounded up and narrowed down by designer Jonathan Adler, who also hosted the party and artfully arranged the picks in the windows. (He selected a Nook E-reader for his product.) Though curating is not Adler's usual specialty (that calling would belong to his husband, Simon Doonan, Barneys New York's Creative Ambassador-at-Large and window dresser extraordinaire, who also selected an item for the Inspiration Shop), he managed the task just fine. "I've always been a window dresser adjacent, and now I've broken into the window dressing community," Adler deadpanned. "I have a bunch of stores, so I've done a little bit. It was fun. Besides, the gays, we're all kind of window dressers more or less!"

See what top trendsetters picked for the eBay inspiration shop.

Roll over items for details

Jonathan Adler - Nook Color eReader

(current bid, $170)

Charlotte Ronson - Cable Knit Sweater

(buy it now price, $61.99)

Lake Bell - Knee High Suede Boot

(buy it now price, $119.99)

Molly Sims - Macbook Air

(buy it now price, $1,699)

The eBay Inspiration Shop is located at 404 Park Avenue South in New York City, and will be open for window shopping through November 10, 2011. Shoppers can also access the shop directly on a mobile device at http://m.inspirationshop.ebay.com/ or via Facebook .

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