The private message system feels a little too hidden to me, and I believe it would be better to have its own tab outside of the username drop down. Potentially, we could replace the second "Shops" tab on the top bar with "Messages," since we already have ready access to the shops with the quick links in the side widget.

I rather like that idea.  Lets see what we can do about that.

Might be a stretch since I know nothing for coding and whatnot, but it'd be cool if there was a way to be notified on the site, like maybe an exclamation mark next to Messages (if a new tab is made for it), or if there's an option for a pop up window.

Thank you for the Messages button!

Indeed. Thank you. :)

You're welcome! )