Introducing OpenSky

When you make a purchase, especially one of significant cost, how do you research the product first so you can make the best possible decision? Do you rely on store personnel, friends and collegues, or your own impressions? Whether it's camera equipment, small appliances for the kitchen, or even the best place to get props for food shoots, I tend to rely on the advice of my friends and collegues.

Naturally, when I was approached by OpenSky, a new e-commerce site, my ears were wide open. OpenSky is helping bloggers like me create stores where we can share our personal recommendations with with our friends, families, and readers. You might be thinking - that sounds like an Amazon store. But it's not. Amazon stores are limited to products that Amazon sells and distributes. OpenSky, rather, is a platform where companies anywhere can become suppliers of products. And users have the ability to contact their favorite companies and help them join the OpenSky team as suppliers.

Why am I joining the OpenSky team? These days, stores with old-school customer service are few and far between. So many employees are just there for a pay check and know very little about what they're actually selling. On one occasion I was in my local grocery store and couldn't find sun-dried tomatoes anywhere. I check what I thought were the obvious places with no luck, so I approached an employee. Imagine my frustration when I learned that not only did the employee not know where to find sun-dried tomatoes, but she didn't even know what they were. It's time to go back to shopping with people who know what they're talking about and can give you a good, honest opinion.

Shopkeepers will create small, theme focused shops with our personal recommendations. The things we actually use and love. There already are so many different themed shops that are operating under the OpenSky platform and they will only continue to grow and expand. And I can't wait to open mine and share it with you! (See the countdown clock on the sidebar? That's counting down the days, hours, minutes, until my shop opens on August 10th).

Congratulations, OpenSky, on being featured on GMA this week. Read more here.

Want to join me on the OpenSky team? Apply here to open your own shop. Maybe you are a seller and want to expand your audience. Go ahead and apply to be an OpenSky supplier.