StoreSnaps is an innovation company created to help people find unique stores nearby. Here at our blog we will write about the stores we love as well as the people who make them real. We hope that over the next few months we become a part of your life in a fun and functional way.
Founded by Argentinian born Hugo Ramos, and built with a team of very creative people, StoreSnaps hopes to connect us through what we find, like and share. Here is his story of how this unique approach to buying at brick and mortar shops was born:
It’s interesting how super crazy cold winds can make your head feel literally hot with ideas. In this particular case I was in New York doing my semester abroad for my MBA at London Business School. Walking down Thompson St. in Soho with my girlfriend, the air was crisp, frosty and electric. We had decided to go shopping that afternoon. As we went from store to store, I was stunned to discover that people tend toward a fairly complex process when they shop, most notably using their phones to send pictures, save pertinent info, check a web page and communicate with their friends regarding the product they were interested in. My girlfriend would often do research on the product at home before returning to the store to finally buy it. It did seem smart and thorough, but also, well…kind of exhausting. So it occurred to me that there ought to be a more effective method to do this.
I should probably explain at this point that I have always been very interested in tech, startups and the web. It comes naturally to me to look at the world through that particular lens. I was using many of the location-based services such as FourSquare and Foodspotting and I loved them. For physical stores I felt there was not a good enough service. I thought to myself, you should be able to find with ease what stores nearby are selling, what those stores are about, and which of those stores you’re most interested in. And that, essentially, is how StoreSnaps was born.
But companies are not merely born. Ideas, like people, grow and develop and walk through doorways of their own…
On one of my last days in New York I was walking around and taking in the sights to lock into my memory this epic city when I found “Rudy’s Music Store” at 461 Broome St. I walked inside and was amazed that I had not seen such a great store before. I love music and Rudy’s was filled with gorgeously crafted guitars. A Classic Taylor, Modern Eagle, Fender American Standard Precision Bass, you name it. I loved trying them out, feeling their sound and weight. Then Rudy, the owner came along and we started talking. Wow. This is a man who sold guitars to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles and there I was playing a few riffs with him, listening to his stories in his fantastic shop.
It was through this great in-store experience, one that revealed not just great products but great people, of something that has heart and is unique, that I became convinced to create StoreSnaps. People will always want to shop in physical (offline) stores and I decided I wanted to make it easier and more fun to have experiences like this a lot more often.
So that’s StoreSnaps and how it came to be. Look forward to weekly updates as we highlight specific stores, products and their creators. In the meantime download the app and keep discovering, keep snapping and keep sharing.
