Modcloth has some cute clothes, not sure if it qualifies as an independent store. Threadless.com has some nice graphic tees. Etsy is another place you could look.

I would like to bump this up. Does anyone have any other responses? Even if the stores aren't "Independent," do some of you have uncommon (not Jcrew, banana, gap, anthropologie, etc..) online shops that you like?

I also like Modcloth.

http://cogandpearl.com/store/

All kinds of handmade stuff:

http://poppytalkhandmade.com/

http://fredflare.com/customer/.....hp?siteID=

http://www.karmaloop.com/ Their marketing doesn't seem to apply at all to me, but I still like some of their products (shoes mostly).

http://www.urbanminx.com/shop/ladies.asp

http://www.notjustpretty.com/shop/index.php

http://lunaboston.com/

For other vegans and veggies:

http://www.veganchic.com/
http://www.mooshoes.com/

I would like to shop at places like this more often, but they are often just too expensive for me or they don't have what I'm looking for.

Here's one that I have bought some things from. It's in SF:

http://www.she-bible.com/index.html

It's really just knits...but they are nice. And they have excellent sales. I just got this one in grey:
http://www.she-bible.com/popups/gentry_c.html

And I got this last year: http://www.she-bible.com/popups/frankie.html

WOW, great question.

I buy my purses locally but the label is small & independently owned: http://www.elaineturner.com

Our site fits the criteria: http://www.bratiquehelene.com although we serve a niche.

Swim: http://www.lionslair.com

Lots of children's stores are out there, but for women its a tall order. It seems the niche stores are more prevalent on the web. Lots of stores all have the same labels as other boutiques so it may not be worthwhile to have a website.

Thank you! I'm finding a lot of pieces that I like. Maya - like you, I would like to shop at more independent places but find it difficult because of financial concerns and/or just not finding pieces that are actually wearable for me. But as I'm starting to pay more attention to what I wear, I feel like I also want to pay more attention to the ethical aspects of shopping.

I love poppytalk - it seems more negotiable than etsy, which I love but get overwhelmed by.

Carissa - I've actually been wanting to order from you for awhile and have been waiting to stop nursing so that my bust would be back to a size that it will hopefully stay at for awhile. I'll e-mail you on your site. :)

Christine

Christine, I don't know if you're a mom, but it really doesn't matter because Hot Mama, which is a small chain, sells about 80% "regular" womenswear and 20% maternity.

They have a nice selection of premium denim, interesting casual tops, great belts, easy summer dresses and it looks like they use real people as models, which I really love!

Their site is http://www.shopmama.com.

This isn't exactly clothing, but the "Butler Bag" that Angie wrote about here http://youlookfab.com/2007/03/22/the-butler-bag/ was designed and is sold by a mom looking for a stylish way to stay organized. She is local to me, so I know a number of people who have (and love) her bags:

http://www.butlerbag.com/