Click on the image below to watch a video of Store Adore Founders Cristina Miller and Meredith Barnett on the importance of mentoring.

The only thing better than going on a summer getaway is planning for your trip. But with travel becoming increasingly more complicated and cumbersome, packing strategically has become a requirement. Here are our tips for travel bags and items to get you there in style—looking no further than the overhead compartment.

TRAVEL BAGS:

First, with so many airlines charging for checked suitcases (not to mention the dread of lost luggage!), we prefer to carry on. Since you’ll be lugging your bags around with you, we recommend suitcases that are lightweight, cushioned, and leave room for shopping:

1)

Hayden Harnett Ibiza Convertible Flight Tote (regularly $198, Store Adore price $158) Hayden Harnett handbags and luggage are artfully constructed and retain a bit of a rocker edge. Expandable and with extra padding for a laptop, this one can be worn as a day bag (use the convertible straps to wear it cross body or over the shoulder) or folded up and stored it inside of a larger bag. Click here to get 20% Off All Hayden Harnett Travel Items.

Intuition Animal Print Tote with Wheels (regularly $98, Store Adore price $78) From Intution, the celeb-fave, trend-setting site, this chic bag boasts a 14 inch pulley easily concealed by a zipper, 2 interior compartments, and a matching, detachable zipper pouch. Click here to get 20% off EVERYTHING at Intuition.

Aspinal Premium Travel Bag from Redpig (weekender regularly $580, Store Adore price $464; grand tourer regularly $690, Store Adore price $552) A new site devoted to luxury gifting, Redpig devotes an entire section to travel. This classic bag, handmade from English bridle leather, is super sturdy but soft—perfect for the jetsetting guy. Click here to get 20% off EVERYTHING at Redpig.

INSIDE YOUR SUITCASE:

Pack items that do double—or even triple—duty. Here are a few genius pieces that have a permanent place inside our suitcase.

Lilla P Origami Wrap (regularly $98, Store Adore price $78) The soft cotton wrap can be worn at least seven ways—one for every day of your week off. A video on the Lilla P site shows you how to do it—genius! Click here to get 20% off EVERYTHING at Lilla P.

Echo Ikat Large Scarf from South Moon Under (regularly $68, Store Adore price $54) Inspired by Hollywood, oversized scarves are now a year-round accessory. Wear this ikat print one—another huge trend right now—around your neck (even during summer!), as a travel blank or even as a sarong on the beach. Click here to get 20% off EVERYTHING at South Moon Under’s website and 11 store locations—for men, women, kids, and home.

Gypsy Maxi Dress from Pink Mascara (regularly $132, Store Adore Price $112) You’ve probably seen this look on your favorite starlet too. Maxi dresses can be worn by day with flights, by night with jewelry, and are the chic-est new travel gear—as comfortable by so much more stylish than a sweat suit. Tie dye is huge this season. Click here to get $20 off any purchase of $100 or more from Pink Mascara, our go-to e-stop for of-the-moment clothing and accessories.

Alanna Bess Isle of Capri Necklace (regularly $378, Store Adore price $283) The kind of piece to end all searching: delicate, modern, and a total focal point, this versatile strand of gold links and stones can be worn 7 different ways—from choker to belt—as illustrated by the site’s guide, “7 Ways To The Isle Of Capri”. Click here to get 25% off ALL Alanna Bess jewelry.

Multi-Tasking Co-Ed Beauty Items from Beautyhabit: Save serious space with a cosmetic bag filled with multi-tasking products that the whole family can share. Men will recoil from anything too pink, but double duty items that are “officially” made for guys can be used by women too. A few we like: Hamadi Shea Pomade (regularly $24, Store Adore price $19) can be used as a styling product for short or long hair; moisturizes and serves as a natural sunscreen for the scalp; and can be used as a skin moisturizer. Belou’s P Mosquito Repellent Oil (regularly $35, Store Adore price $28) is perfect for post-beach—a sesame seed oil base calms sunburned skin and acts as a natural insect repellent. Bonny Doon Farm Salves (regularly $9, Store Adore price $7) are the best all-around product—use as a lip balm or to soothe chapped elbows or hands. The light spruce scent of The Lodge acts as a subtle fragrance for men or women. All items are carry-on friendly. Click here to get 20% off everything at Beautyhabit.

Click here to see the video of Store Adore on Fox 5 in Washington, DC.

We hope you enjoyed the Store Adore story on Fox Five in DC. (In case you missed it, check out the video here.)

If you haven’t already done so, register for Store Adore, where you can score free membership and a $25 gift certificate to invite-only sample sale site Gilt Groupe.

Curious about what stores we visited with the Fox Five team? Here’s the scoop:

With its rotating storefront of bright dresses and flirty tanks, always-trendy Sugar beckons Georgetown students (and their older sisters and mothers alike) into the cheerful space. We took viewers to this go-to boutique (where Store Adore shoppers get an exclusive 20 percent off) and then headed next door to accessories haven Sassanova, which also offers the same 20 percent discount for Store Adore shoppers.

When we browsed online, we scrolled through favorite sites like indie e-shop Ravinstyle ($25 off a purchase of $100 or more), newly launched Blondette ($25 off a purchase of $100 or more), and always reliable Active Endeavors (20% off everything).

Want more to adore on Store Adore?

Download our shopping maps here, including this one from Georgetown.

Find dozens of exclusive discounts here.

And don’t forget to register for Store Adore to get your free membership and $25 gift certificate to invite-only sample sale site Gilt Groupe.

We hope you caught us shopping this morning with Alisyn Camerota, the gorgeous, not to mention super fashion savvy, reporter from Fox & Friends. In cased you missed it, link to the video here, or read about our shopping spree–and score Store Adore-exclusive discounts–below:

Just when we’re all trying to tighten (neh, cinch) the economic belt, the season of spending it upon us. No, we’re not talking Christmas in June, but what with Mom’s Day, Dad’s Day, wedding season, baby season, and hostess gifts for weekends at the shore–not to mention a little refreshment for our own summer wardrobes–we’re shopping even more than we usually do. (And that’s saying something.) Here at Store Adore, we’re all for cheap thrills–guaranteed crowd pleasers that provide a real style bang for the buck. Check out a few of our favorite online and NY-based resources for affordable gifting. Plus, use our exclusive discounts for even bigger savings.

And remember to sign up for Store Adore to get notification of our exclusive deals along with a free $25 gift certificate.

Cheap Thrills Online

Elsewares (20% Discount!) Elsewares’ passionate commitment to magnificent designs and the artists behind them means not only that you’ll score super-cool stuff on the site, but also that you’ll support independent artists and companies with a conscience in the process. The folks at Elsewares scour the creative world for innovative apparel, accessories and home products from companies that practice healthy labor practices and focus on environmental sustainability. These adorable Egglings ($9.50) look and feel just like real eggs–just crack one open, add water and a seedpack, and you’ve created the mini-est garden ever. Or check out coasters from Sesame Letterpress ($12 for a set of 8 coasters): available in a variety of motifs, they’re hand-pressed in Brooklyn by a husband and wife team. We also love this iconic take on the classic diamond ring ($10) — perfect for a friend suffering from a recent breakup, that is if she has a sense of humor. Elsewares’ treasure trove of conversation pieces is diverse, affordable and 100 percent guilt-free. For help navigating, check out the gift guides, where you can sort by price (including an under $25 category), recipient and recycled material. Shop here for: friends with a conscience, housewarming, Dad’s Day, adorable accessories

Knock Knock (15% Discount with a Purchase of $50 or More!) Knock Knock: For people who have either way too much to do or not enough to do at all, sense of humor required. This clever line of paper-based goods (pads, organizers, sticky notes and more) and its corresponding e-commerce site are devoted to keeping you in line and on track—and always with a smile. You’ll find “Whenever” sticky notes titled “Today,” “Soon” and “Someday” ($15.99 for a set); sassy door hangers that you can flip to signal your mood (”Come on in and give me a hug” on one side, “I’ve had it–best to stay away” on the other) ($6.99 for a set of three); and funny file folders marked “to do,” “to ponder” and “to file” ($8.99) Knock Knock: It’s definitely who’s there. Shop here for: gag gifts, anyone with a family/office/kids/life/sense of humor

Mxyplyzk (Get a Free Gift Clock, Retail Value $32, with Any Online Purchase) Striking a unique balance between industry and whimsy, home boutique Mxyplyzyk (say it five times fast! Mix-ee-pliz-ick) has something for anyone with a quirky modern taste. This “Spy” Wall Clock ($28) boasts a fish eye mirror that reaches the far corners of a room–no sneaking the broccoli under the dinner plate while mom is facing the other direction! To engage kids in summer gardening, we love this adorable watering can ($14.99) in the shape of a classic rubber duckie. Shop here for: hostess gifts, kids, pets, a laugh

Click here for a full listing of websites offering values and steals and find our exclusive discounts here.

Cheap Thrills in New York’s East Village

If you live in New York (or are coming for a visit), there’s no better place for values and steals than the East Village. Print our Cheap Thrills East Village map, and check out the highlights of our afternoon with Alisyn.

Pink Olive (20% Discount in-store and online!)

We can’t seem to get enough of Pink Olive around here. Every item in this adorable shop is a true treasure, and barely anything is priced above $50. I purchased this absolutely adorable mini stuffed ladybug. With my Store Adore discount, it came out to just about $6!

Girly NYC

Alisyn and I laughed over hilariously sleep masks printed with phrases like “Wake me when it’s time for coffee” and ogled the frilly boy shorts, but what I’m really coveting is this Amanda Uprichard Dress–the ruffles are feminine but not clowny, and the subtle python print adds some extra sass. Find all this and more in Girly’s boudoir-like space.

Don’t forget to sign up for Store Adore to get notification of our exclusive deals along with a free $25 gift certificate.

Click here to see a video of Store Adore Founders Meredith Barnett and Cristina Miller discussing their internship experiences on Fox iMag.

Check out the video of Meredith and Cristina on Fox iMag discussing their internship experiences.

Find more great videos on iMag’s Career series here.

Link to video:

Click here to see Store Adore on Fox Business.

NEW YORK, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ — Meredith Barnett, founder of Store Adore, featured on Fox Business Network’s “Happy Hour” announcing the Best Boutiques for Anti-Valentine Gifts. Store Adore (www.storeadore.com, a personalized web-based guide to exceptional boutiques on the trendiest streets across the country and online, is an online forum for passionate shoppers to find and share insights and information on the very best shopping boutiques and specialty stores in the cities where they live, where they travel, and online. As both a practical resource and an online shopping community, Store Adore is a place where shoppers can discover new stores (or find out what’s new with their long-time favorites!) and have the opportunity to talk shop(ping) with likeminded individuals.

Barnett discusses Store Adore’s strong editorial content is supplied by locally-based writers who have their ears to the ground regarding their local shopping communities. The site is marked by a lively, insightful tone and well-researched, up-to-date information. Community features, including user profiles, mapping, messaging, and more, encourage interactivity. Featured stores can also interact with users on the site in a number of ways, including offering exclusive deals and posting photos and messages. Barnett overseas the editorial and creative side of Store Adore, while Miller overseas sales, marketing and finance. Both work on technology strategy, management and investor relations.

Barnett and Miller believe that shopping is an experience — that the thrill of browsing, searching, and discovering is often as much fun as the actual owning of whatever you’re shopping for. There are countless resources that will tell you exactly what someone else thinks you should buy. Store Adore may not be able to resist making a few suggestions of its own, but what Barnett and Miller really want to do is to guide shoppers in the right direction so that they can enjoy the rush of finding exactly what is right for them.

Barnett and Miller believe that whether you’re traveling to one of the Store Adore featured cities (New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles) or looking for something specific at home, or shopping online, it should be easy (and convenient) to find, map, and talk shopping.

Store Adore’s goal is to cover the best boutiques — not every boutique* — and its writers have vetted each and every boutique for its selection, vibe, and customer service.

Barnett, an avid (some might say obsessive) shopper and a former editor at Lucky magazine, would plan her vacations by crafting a careful list of every boutique she wanted to check out in a given city and then would diligently visit each one. Store Adore was inspired by Barnett’s frustration with the fact that these lists were so hard to compile. Not only was the information difficult to obtain, but also there was no trusted resource to let her know if a visit was even worth her time and energy. Sensing a strong demand for a better shopping resource, she hatched the idea for Store Adore.

Meredith’s editorial background is complemented by Cristina’s business background. Miller, a former management consultant, had significant experience working with technology and retail companies. Her work required her to live in numerous cities around the world and within the United States. With each relocation, Miller would eagerly explore the local boutiques, and much like Barnett, was frustrated by the lack of resources for avid shoppers visiting a new city. While there were plenty of ways to find a top restaurant or gallery, there was nothing that would help her plan a Saturday shopping stroll. And when she shopped online from her desk (a convenient way to stay stylish when you’re jetting all over the world), she was bored with the same old bookmarked sites. The launch of Store Adore was the perfect solution to these challenges, so after a day of engagement ring shopping (Miller is to be the maid-of-honor in Barnett’s upcoming wedding), Barnett proposed the idea of Store Adore and Cristina said yes!

*Store Adore is not pay for play. Boutiques do not pay to be a part of Store Adore. Its editors make decisions on their own about what to feature on the website