When Shopping is a Pleasure in Second Life

Florencio (moderate)

I've never been able to enjoy a "mall" experience in any life.  I understand the need to maximize the owner's return on their investment but aesthetically it just doesn't do it for me.  I get cranky and frustrated and I don't spend a lot of time looking around.  But there are places that make me happy to spend both time and money.  If the store owner has gone to the trouble of creating an experience that pleases me, I'll go out of my way to explore their products and buy something even if it wasn't my intention. :)

Today's post highlights 5 very different locations, all of which are anchored by one or more stores and all of which are worth visiting just to enjoy the experience.

Grollwerk, La Cuesta (moderate)

Florencio a quirky, surreal sim.  This is just so much fun you know you're going to like the products in the stores. There are multiple stores but they're tucked into the landscape so well they don't detract from the design, they form part of it.

Grollwerk's main store is on La Cuesta and there is lots to see on the island.  I fell in love with the textures on these buildings - as usual my photo doesn't do the place justice.  Once you've explored the outdoors make sure you investigate the inn and then do your shopping for "Fantasy, SciFi & Horror based Avatars, Armor and Accessories".

Lusiadas (moderate)

Lusiadas is the wonderfully serene home to the shop Nordari.  If you want to escape and find peace this is the place to do it.  Low prim, prefab structures are available in a store surrounded by a fabulous woodland.

Shopping for skins and accessories might be the primary reason you'd visit Ethos, but the store Jomo is a great build on a beautifully designed sim.

Ethos (moderate)

My last location today is almost impossible to describe.  Kurohi Dagger isn't finished building Belial Japan but it's worth exploring now anyway.  Much of the design keeps you indoors in a dark, futuristic something - I'm not sure if it's a city or just a large multi-roomed complex but it's extraordinary.  And then there's this castle ....

The sim is dedicated to "the elegant, noble modern dark" and the website deserves some attention if you are interested in the project.  There are stores, relaxation areas and at least one location for concerts.  I noticed that Kurohi is not only linking this build to his website but also to every social network you can think of and he makes it really easy to connect from the site.  I suspect more and more builders will be doing the same.  This, along with the other four, is well worth a visit.

Belial Japan (moderate)