Fab.com ^[1], a two-month-old start-up, will soon have 500,000 users — nearly a 800-percent increase since May — all thanks to a clever distraction.

The site started as Fabulis, and was envisioned as a gay social networking site. But in April, when Fabulis shut down to switch to Fab, an online catalog and flash-sales site, it introduced its “inspiration wall.” The feature allows users to post and share pictures of their design inspirations from a computer, Instagram or Google, and now under Fab, users can add pictures of their favorite products, allowing peers to see what’s in vogue.

With more users comes more cash, too. Last month, Fab raised $7.7 million from a variety of sources, including Ashton Kutcher. Actually, Fab’s best sales days have come when Kutcher’s wife, Demi Moore, tweeted about certain Fab offerings.

Read more on The New York Times ^[2].