19 best Shopify stores to inspire

Ever since the DotCom area, spending habits have been changing drastically, and every year, more people decide to do their shopping online. 

According to some projections, retail ecommerce sales worldwide are expected to grow 378% from 2014 to 2024, with the final forecast being estimated at a whopping $6.38 trillion for 2024. It goes without saying that selling online is a must for every retailer.

If starting your own Shopify store has been in the back of your mind for ages, but you just need a little extra inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve compiled a list of the best Shopify stores (in no particular order) in 2024 to inspire you. These are the businesses that didn’t use existing molds but made their own. Businesses that were born from innovative ideas to create what’s missing or improve on the existing.

In addition, we’ve also complied 8 best Shopify themes you can choose from to really make your new ecommerce store shine.

So, let’s get started, as we have a long list to go through.

1. Brosa

First up in this list of best Shopify stores is Brosa, an Australian company that’s disrupting the traditional business structure of furniture stores.

They were unhappy that customers foot the bill for the associated costs of transporting, importing, and selling wholesale products. Brosa eliminates the middleman, so you can buy premium furniture without breaking the bank. They handle everything in-house, from designing the product to delivery, and have skilled makers based in Australia, China, and India.

Brosa’s founders have grown and managed their business due to prior experience with ecommerce stores and marketing. You, too, can use your knowledge in other areas of the business world to build your company. Just make sure that you’re treating your customers fairly regardless of how you establish yourself.

2. Cherry Diva

The next one is a jewelry maker, Cherry Diva, from the chim-chiminey lands of the UK.

They sell and design their own bohemian-inspired treasures. Their commitment is to bring customers affordable and fashionable jewelry from around the world. Their business journey began with the frustrations of finding boho jewelry on the Highstreet and quickly noticing how expensive it is.  

So, their operation began ad hoc.  

They sourced products abroad and started selling their wares at market stalls, car boot sales, boot fairs, and social events. Admittedly, the Cherry Diva founders have said they didn’t do much research before embarking on this endeavor. But they did have one goal — they wanted to sell to everyone.

Yes, it was a bit ambitious, but that goal led them to the natural conclusion of getting their business set up online to reach as big of an audience as they could. 

Now, they have moved on to manufacture their own jewelry line and have a huge social media presence. Their products have even gotten into the hands of celebrities like Joanne Clifton and Professional WWE wrestlers Sasha Banks and Saraya-Jade Bevis.

We omitted the most impressive information that the founders started their business with just a £100 investment and built one of the best Shopify jewelry stores. Even if you have very little capital to invest, Cherry Diva teaches you that you too can launch your business with just sheer determination and an objective — even if one of those goals is broad.

3. Steeltown Garage

For those who want to live life in the fast lane — Steeltown Garage Co. is the perfect Shopify store for them. 

They are run by people with an insatiable thirst for motorbikes and coffee. No, don’t be scared. It’s not a motorbike club (MC). They are a retailer selling anything a motorcyclist would want and a coffee shop.

However, they do sell their own in-house apparel and accessories, and their catalog is constantly expanding.

Under their mean and gruff exterior, Steeltown garage is a company that’s warm and welcoming, and does tons of events with the community.

Most notably, their Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to support prostate cancer research and men’s mental health. If you love bikes, coffee, art, books, and a good time, you’ll have found a home with the Steel Garage Co.

4. Babe

The jewelry line Babe (previously Metal Marvels) by Katie celebrates individualism, crushing stereotypes about how a woman should behave, and promotes the healthy, expressive nature of swearing like a sailor.

That’s about as close as we’re going to get to swearing, so we’ll allow Katie to do what she does best and speak for herself.

Babe is a brand and place for women to be themselves without worrying about how others may perceive them.

The business came to be when Katie, after several less-than-satisfactory jobs, was searching for accessories that would boost her confidence and not cost a fortune. But during her searches, she could only find mainly feminine and dainty jewelry; stuff that didn’t match her larger-than-life boldness. She began crafting her own jewelry, and it took off from there. 

You can now find the Expletives and Affirmations collections, which celebrate being yourself and not giving a hoot about other’s opinions.

As you can see, you don’t have to be corporate or have a family-friendly brand. You can launch a business and brand that captures every aspect of who you are, even if it’s not traditionally appropriate, and still become one of the best Shopify stores.

5. Fyrn

Fyrn designs and manufactures furniture they boldly want to stand the test of time.

How do they achieve this? They strongly believe their patented Stemn bracket is enough to make their chairs durable, replaceable, and simplistic. This design means that Fyrn can offer customers the choice between buying chairs unassembled or preassembled.

Fyrn achieves this while also being an eco-friendly manufacturing business. They source their material from responsible suppliers and deliver products in recyclable packaging. They want to give customers a chance to purchase environmentally friendly products and become less dependent on disposable culture.

6. Stone Forest

For those looking to turn their hobby into a business, here is Stone Forest for your inspiration.

The company is a group of artisans and designers dedicated to bringing nature’s essential energy and beauty into people’s lives. The founder pinpoints his passion for carving stones during his early 20s as a rock climbing and river guide. During this period, he became fascinated with the natural beauty of his surroundings and began sculpting blocks of stone in his spare time.

Stone Forst uses natural materials when carving award-winning artifacts, ranging anywhere from sinks to garden fountains. Stone Forest is another proof that you can turn your hobbies and interests into one of the best Shopify furniture stores.

7. Soaring Heart

Introducing Soaring Heart, a company dedicating itself to making sure customers have an undisturbed sleep.

They produce make-to-order handcrafted mattresses which use the finest organic materials. They’ve chosen these materials these are believed to help relieve arthritis, chronic pain, and allergies. Soaring Heart is a long-standing business that has been operating for close to 30 years because they have been able to keep up with the change in technology (particularly toward online shopping).

The business also donates profit toward charities and offers scholarships for those looking to study in the field of sleep. They base their values around the three C’s:

• Comfort
• Craftsmanship
• Community.

Ensure that you’re a step ahead of any technological advancements or changes in how consumers use technology. Even if it doesn’t affect your business directly, you should be mindful that it may become the norm in the future.

8. Rebel Nell

“One of No Other Kind” is how Rebel Nell describes themselves, and we couldn’t describe them better ourselves.

Rebel Nell is a social enterprise offering jobs for women in Detroit with barriers to employment. They aim to employ, educate, and empower these women to become independent.

Not only do they teach their students how to craft jewelry with the help of local organizations, but they also teach them business management tactics so they can run their own businesses when they graduate.

Using all their newly acquired knowledge, these women have the tools to go out into the world and create their own opportunities.

Rebel Nell’s founder, Amy Paterson, was fascinated with graffiti murals. Once the graffiti chips away from exposure, Rebel Nell takes the pieces for their unique material. Also, the designers have total creative freedom, meaning that jewelry produced by the company is unique and not replicable elsewhere.

Everything about this business is admirable and deserving to be among the best Shopify stores. Rebel Nell helps those who need it most and gives them another chance to redefine themselves. Their material repurposing efforts mean they can keep a graffiti’s artists work alive, and their items are, quite literally, a little piece of Detroit, celebrating its culture. 

9. QALO

QALO is a business for family-orientated couples who are proud of their relationships but don’t like traditional metal wedding rings’ restrictive and cumbersome nature.

“What do you mean cumbersome? It’s a wedding ring!” you might be wondering. For normal wedding rings you must consider if you can leave it on or not. If you’re into athletics, the ring will be coming on and off depending on what you’re doing.

And then you must worry about storing it safely or risk losing it.

The founders of QALO had this dilemma themselves. They were two friends who were newlyweds but couldn’t stand wearing their wedding rings, to the point it was causing small issues in their relationships. So, they went on the hunt for metal ring replacements that were safe and comfortable because they did want to show their commitment, but they struggled to find anything like that on the market.

That’s when they decided to make silicone rings that were versatile for versatile lifestyles. 

The founders of QALO found a niche and a small gap in the market. Their products are for the more outdoorsy people, but their stylish and comfortable rings make them desirable for anyone. Along with their rings, they have built a huge community, promoted active, healthy living, and had many professional athletes sporting their products.

10. Inside Weather

Here’s another furniture manufacturer in this list of best Shipify stores. Inside Weather is all about modern, personal, and accessible furniture shopping. They offer bespoke manufacturing to visitors and even sort out the delivery in just a few days. They achieve this by allowing you to customize your orders and dispatch them to you, ready to assemble.

All this work benefits not only the environment but the customers too. The traditional method of mass production means the unsold furniture is sent to landfills and factored into the costs — but that’s not the case with Inside Weather.

Check out Inside Weather if you want to organize a sustainable production line and reduce your lead times.

11. Master & Dynamic

Electronics manufacturer Master & Dynamic makes headphones and speakers that are stylish, modern, and utilize innovative craftsmanship.

Born from the mediocrity of the headphones on the market, Master & Dynamic sets out to create products with a lifespan of decades, made from nothing but quality materials. Master & Dynamic is a business that champions artists, architects, designers, and, most obviously, audio entertainment.

It even goes as far as to give you the option to add accessories to transform your headphones into a headset (perfect for gamers).

Master & Dynamic provides a range of products such as headphones, earbuds, accessories, and speakers — ones that very sophisticated architects have designed, landing it amongst the best Shopify stores.

12. Rustic Trades

The newlyweds of Rustic Trades were trying to buy furniture for their new home and life together.

After countless hours searching stores, they couldn’t find the perfect dining table that matched the price tag. That’s when the husband proposed a solution, “I’ll build you the dining table.”

Since then, a time-filler has become a full-time business, and just like the first, the tables are still handcrafted.

Since Rustic Trades’ humble beginnings, they use materials supplied by American companies, use quality carpentry techniques, and use the finest finishes available. Rustic Trades offers bespoke tables, designing your order to fit your lifestyle.

Rustic Trades shows how you don’t need to be an expert manufacturer before starting your business. The founder noticed a gap in the market and learned the skills after the discovery.

13. Vivien Frank

This jeweler, Vivien Frank, is a perfect example of a “What if?” business.

Originally, the founder, Simona, was working as a production manager on feature films. However, once she gave birth to her son, she left the hectic life of the creative industry and took up the hectic responsibilities of a stay-at-home mother. But, she always liked making jewelry and took it up as a hobby.

Slowly, she converted her office into a jewelry workshop and began selling her products via ecommerce channels.

Based in Velcro, Switzerland, Simona founded Vivien Frank as an independent designer crafting boho glam-influenced jewelry, recognized internationally, and appeared in fashion magazines.

All her products are hand-made, and she practices fair trade. If Simona could give a piece of advice to anyone, she would recommend people try different marketing strategies and, especially for crafters, use Pinterest to showcase their wares — this is where she gets most of her traffic.

Even though Vivien Frank didn’t come to be this way, her business still highlights that anyone can potentially make money with their hobbies. All you need is to understand where your audience is waiting for you and have a passion for what you do.

14. Brilliant Bicycles

Next up, Brilliant Bicycles is a company that designs and manufactures personalized bikes with a simplistic aesthetic.

You can choose bikes from their catalog and personalize an order to get the one you want. Hell, if you’re struggling to pick out a bike, you can complete a couple of questions, and they’ll suggest the perfect bike to meet your requirements.

Brilliant Bicycles eliminates the hassle of dealing with intermediaries. If you order one of their products, it comes straight from the manufacturing floor to your front door.

Brilliant Bicycles sells personalized bikes, but they also have the paraphernalia of biking products essential for anyone who often uses a bike for transport. The prices for their bikes range from $550 to $780.

They take a simplistic approach to presentation, design (slick, cool, and metropolitan, that is), and how customers receive their bikes. They believe bikes should be personalized, not over-designed and gaudy.

They strip away the hassle by shipping the bikes straight to the customer and even detail each step of the manufacturing process with a series of mesmerizing videos from their shop floor.

15. King Ice

King Ice is a hip-hop streetwear giant producing jewelry, clothing, and accessories inspired by popular culture — from rap artists to retro video game characters. 

King Ice aims to place itself as an industry leader in making iconic men’s streetwear by providing high-quality, premium goods and maintaining a close relationship with clients and fans to give them the best buying experience possible.

They produce all kinds of jewelry, including pendants, chains, bracelets, watches, grillz, pins, and much, much more.

King Ice shows that even if an idea seems ambitious, with the right quality goods and, more importantly, marketing, you can establish your business alongside the entertainment industry or any other niche you wish to target. In King Ice’s case, they have collaborations with such names as Notorious B.I.G., Death Row Records, Wu-Tang Clan, Rick & Morty, and many more.

16. The critical slide

Introducing The Critical Slide Society (TCSS), a business celebrating surf culture, founded in 2009 in Australia.

TCSS is a collection of artists and surfers who want to move away from the competitive nature found among surfers. They wanted to capture the joy and the sense of community by people united by their love of surfing. 

TCSS sells its apparel via Shopify and through retailers across the globe. However, they also sell wetsuits, wax, and surfboard modifications such as fins.

Their company image is one that is a part of the community. They’re completely transparent about who they are and have countless marketing videos about their laid-back approach to how the company is perceived and life in general, for that matter. Informal, relaxed, and constantly in touch with the public as they team up with other companies to run events around Australia.

They exist in a niche market of surfer lovers, but how they’ve created an international community comprised of creatives and surfers is only to be commended.

17. Mariclaro

Mariclaro is a wonderful business that has taken upcycling and refurbishment to the next level.

While the founder, Sven Schlegel, was studying for his PhD. in resource management in Mexico, he collected abandoned election banners and converted them into the first-ever Mariclaro bag. From that point onward, the small recycling project grew into a successful repurposing company.

They’re infatuated with the stories that come with the items they repurpose and continuing stories. If you have something you don’t use but would love to give it a second life, why not get in touch with Mariclaro? 

They manufacture all of their products by hand from discarded materials, such as car upholstery, 8mm film, bike tubes, and even airliner seatbelts. They use these items to make bags, wallets, billfolds, and accessories.

Mariclaro shows, through their online postings or website, that their refurbished items aren’t some Frankenstein-esque creations but look professional and stylish and are high-quality goods. They even have their own collections, such as the ‘Back to Earth’ collection, which has a connecting theme. This collection uses materials coming from the interior of different aircrafts.

18. Keap

The founders of Keap quit their jobs at Google to make candles. Yes, we thought that too — that’s very brave.

They’re two friends who complained about the difficulty of finding a quality scented candle to unwind to and one that wasn’t harmful to the environment. They always fantasized about forming a candle manufacturing business, and after doing their research, taking perfumery classes, and touring other factories, they took the plunge.

Now, after years of elbow grease, they produce unique candles from scents inspired by nature and with virtually no waste. The packaging of the candles can be used in compost, and the casing converted into drinking glasses — or returned to Keap to be reused or recycled.

Keap is an eco-friendly company just trying to help others unwind and know that buying their paraffin-free products means helping the environment.

19. Flex

Finally, and certainly not least — The Flex Company.

They’re on an epic mission to promote body positivity, empower ladies everywhere, and crush any negative connotations anyone has regarding menstruation. The Flex Company provides an alternative to menstrual products currently on the market. Ones that are more durable and minimize cramps and waste.

There is no shaming at The Flex Company or no hidden political agenda. They’re only concerned with improving the lifestyle and well-being of women.

We might still be a step behind when it comes to being as open and as articulate as The Flex Company is when talking about the product, but we can certainly recognize how revolutionary their product is.

They present themselves with lightheartedness and a witty attitude. But, when it comes to the product, they use statistics they’ve gathered to persuade women to switch to the Flex Disc. The Flex Company recognizes that talking about menstruation is a difficult topic for some, so they try to approach it in as laid-back a manner as possible, with testimonies from current users and medical professionals for those who are unsure about making the switch.

The best Shopify themes

You should now have plenty of motivation to kickstart your Shopify store. But we’re not done yet. We also promised some themes, so here they are — a selection of premium Shopify themes to suit your enterprise.

Startup

Are you taking your hobby to the next level? 

Startup is for businesses with a small portfolio of products or direct-to-consumer manufacturers using a make-to-order workflow. Startup has great features for beginners to build their brand on — we’re talking homepage videos, customer testimonials, and an Instagram feed at the ready.

It’s the perfect way to start reaching out to your customers as much as they reach out to you. 

• Price: $240
• Reviews: 99 (82% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Blockshop

There’s a reason that Blockshop is considered one of the best converting Shopify themes.

The theme’s easy-to-understand UI complements Blockshop’s flat visual grid style. This combination keeps customers interested in the visuals and gives them the room to browse your store.

There’s lots of space to work with, so if you want to do some on-site SEO or add extra info, it’s easy to do. The potential for boosting traffic here is huge. Not to mention customer support is highly commended by the community. That might not seem like a big deal until you come across a hitch and need that expert knowledge.

Just make sure you have some solid images to back this theme up — otherwise, your store could end up feeling a little empty.

• Price: $340
• Reviews: 367 (96% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Boost

Promotions, discounts, and offers — all great ways to increase your sales and the amount of time customers spend on your site.

Boost is one of the top premium Shopify themes for any business that relies on promotions as a key marketing tool. It’s perfect if you deal with seasonal goods such as clothing or sports — but there’s a lot more to this theme than that.

Options to add color swatches, highlight promoted products, and for customers to quickly buy are all present.

The aim here is to keep customers engaged on your website while making it easy for them to buy multiple products. It’s a theme that’s been expertly designed to boost your online sales.

• Price: $330
• Reviews: 70 (89% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Avenue

Avenue is a great choice for companies selling internationally. It is quick and easy to set up and is built to support businesses that process a large number of transactions in a given period. Avenue gives Shopify stores access to: 

• Cart and checkout 
• Marketing and conversion 
• Blogs 
• Cross-selling 
• Customizable contact form 
• Promo banners and pop-ups  
• And so much more  

Plus, the seamless Instagram integration is going to allow you to get closer to your customer base.

• Price: $280
• Reviews: 234 (97% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

District

Work with collections? District is one of the most popular Shopify themes designed for stores with groups of products. That’s mainly down to its image gallery, slideshow options, and frequent updates.

The design is known for the fast page loading to support all the browsing customers will be doing on your store. There’s also a feature for promotional pop-ups to entice them.

• Price: $220
• Reviews: 690 (100% positive) — If you want to nitpick, it’s actually 99.565% positive
• Preview: Demo store

Canopy

Canopy, brought to you by the same developers who made Boost, allows you to display a large selection of products, as the gallery on the homepage can host up to a whopping 20 images. The true value comes with its sleek, quick buy option. It’s easy to browse the store and add products to your cart as you go along, totally seamlessly.

The chances are that Canopy will increase multiple item sales for you. Considering that 18% of customers abandon shopping carts due to complicated website navigation, this feature is not to be overlooked.

• Price: $390
• Reviews: 135 (96% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Retina

The Retina theme is a forward-thinking design that is perfect as a long-term option for any business.

The theme offers an Instagram feed plus an advanced blog feature that allows comments and social media sharing. It’s a great way to build your brand and increase your virtual visibility. Not to mention that you can really engage your customers with home and product page videos, as well as a full-width home page video. That’s a lot of visual opportunity to make a connection.

• Price: $220
• Reviews: 286 (97% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Impulse

Impulse is one of the best Shopify templates tailored for sales conversions.

In fact, the designers studied Fortune 500 company designs to see which ones worked best for them and then tailored that to smaller sellers. That’s where you get all the layered menu, sub-collection, and sidebar filter options. But the boosting of sales really comes from the brilliant features for promotions. 

The custom promotion tiles, for example, are great for selling your featured products without compromising the rest of your products.

And with the theme optimized for readability, you know your customers won’t get tired of browsing your store any time soon.

• Price: $380
• Reviews: 1000 (95% positive)
• Preview: Demo store

Get your inventory under control with Katana

Once you have your plan laid out and the perfect theme selected, it’s time to think about your tech stack. Seamlessly integrated tech stack makes data transfers effortless, greatly reduce headaches and wrinkles, and improves your operational efficiency.

Katana is a cloud inventory platform that unifies all your other business tools. It connects seamlessly with Shopify, so all your orders and inventory levels are always synced. It simplifies your accounting by connecting with QuickBooks Online or Xero, ensuring all your numbers balance nicely at the end of the reporting period. If you use any other apps, you’ll be able to connect them as well, thanks to the wide range of supported integrations.

Katana packs advanced inventory management features in an intuitive package, including:

• Real-time stock management
• Order management
• Inventory forecasting
• Support for multiple sales channels
• Multilocation support
• Reorder points and safety stock levels

Book a demo now to see how Katana can set your business up to become one of the best Shopify stores.