Michele Dillon’s antique shop, Timeless Elegance in Bellevue, is no stranger to the online world.
The shop’s historical pieces of antique, American-made furniture can be browsed by the click of a mouse on such online websites as ebay, Craigslist and YouTube.
The shop even has its own website which includes a virtual shop tour where Dillon shows timeless antique furnishings, what she considers America’s crown jewels.
And now Google Maps has taken notice – adding a service that gives viewers around the world a virtual peek inside the shop.
Earlier this week, Google sent out a photographer to capture every nook and cranny of the interior space of Timeless Elegance to be used on Google Maps.
Instead of simply zooming into an image of the exterior of the shop on Google Maps, users can go a step further and virtually walk through the front door by browsing still-shot images.
Google’s photographers are scheduling free photo shoots with business owners in five cities across the U.S., Sydney, Australia and Tokyo, Japan. The focus is on small retailers, restaurants and hotels.
When Dillon received the call from Google, she jumped at the chance to get the cameras rolling.
“This is great for small businesses because it’s basically like free advertising,” she explained. “I can’t tell you how many first-time customers stop by and tell me have driven down Main Street in Bellevue countless times and never knew we were here.”
Businesses chosen by Google to participate in Google Business for Google Maps have the option of using the photos taken by the Google photographer or uploading their own photos. The photos will then appear in the Google business listing under that particular businesses’ Google Maps page in the photo section. The idea is that users from half-way across the world will be able to virtually step foot inside a small shop in Bellevue. Dillon may have to rethink her policy of free shipping, but overall this was an opportunity she did not want to pass up.
“I thought at first, Google was going to focus local and it didn’t dawn on me that this would be global. That’s kind of amazing to me,” she said.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.
Timeless Elegance is located at 22 103rd Ave. NE, Bellevue, 425.454.6227, www.timelesselegance.com.
To find the antique shop on Google Maps, visit http://maps.google.com and type in Timeless Elegance in the Search Maps box at the top of the screen. Then select more info next to the business name and scroll down to the photos section (the Google photos will be added shortly).
