OVERVIEW
Western Ways, a 50-year family boot store, takes 30,000 sq ft of inventory online on Shopify
Family-owned in Forest, Virginia since 1973, Western Ways had two stores and no webstore. We built the Shopify storefront that put their boots, tack and workwear in front of riders nationwide.
+95%
Revenue growth — first year online
2
Stores, one synced Shopify catalogue
1973
Family-owned since · online in 2026
Western Ways
“Launching our webstore has been less physical work than opening a new building or location, but has its own challenges that have been fun to take on. Growth online is our next mission.”
The Hobson family
Owners, Western Ways · westernways.com
01
About the project
Western Ways started as the 460 Saddle Shop on an unpaved road in Forest, Virginia. Three generations later it runs two locations totalling over 30,000 square feet of boots, tack, apparel and horse-care supplies — and until 2026, sold none of it online. We built the Shopify store, connected it to both shops' inventory and set it up so the family team can run it themselves.
The result of our work was +95% revenue growth in the first year online · two stores selling from one synced catalogue · a brand-first navigation built around Ariat, Wrangler, Carhartt and the riding categories customers ask for in store.
Client
Western Ways
Industry
Western & equestrian retail
Platform
Shopify + Shopify POS
Services
Store build · POS & inventory sync · Collections · Email & SMS · Local SEO
Timeline
2025 – 2026 (launched 2026)
02
The challenge
A beloved regional store with a catalogue too big to put online by hand.
Western Ways carries thousands of SKUs across men's, women's, kids', tack and barn — most of them stocked in two physical stores on two different systems. Customers were already asking to order online; the team had run out of room to expand physically and needed the webstore to be their next location.
“We have run out of room to build on. Which means growth online is our next mission.”
Western Ways · About page
Two stores, two inventories
Forest and Roanoke counted stock separately, so an online order could sell a boot the nearest store didn't have.
Thousands of SKUs, no data
Sizes, widths, colours and brands lived in the POS, not in a format a storefront could use.
Brand-led shoppers
Riders shop by Ariat, Wrangler and Carhartt first, then by category — the site had to work both ways.
A team that sells in person
Nobody on staff had run an online store; the site had to be as simple to manage as the shop floor.
03
How it started
It started with a store walk-through in Forest, two miles from our own office. We mapped how the team sells boots in person — brand first, then fit — and how stock moves between the two locations.
Rather than a long build, we proposed a phased launch: core boot and apparel categories first on Shopify, both stores' inventory synced through Shopify POS, and the full tack and barn range added once the team was comfortable running it.
Haniel Singh · Creative Labs
Free store audit · Western Ways
1. Two POS systems hold the same SKUs under different codes. Unify under Shopify POS before launch.
2. Customers search by brand. Build brand collections (Ariat, Wrangler, Carhartt) as first-class navigation.
3. Boot sizing needs width and calf options. Model variants properly so shoppers trust the fit.
Watch the 3-minute audit04
Finding the direction
Before touching templates we agreed on one idea: the webstore should feel like walking into the Forest store — brand walls up front, boots by fit, promos the staff actually run.
We locked the navigation around the store's own departments (Mens, Womens, Kids, Tack & Barn, Home & Accessories) and tested the homepage promo blocks the team updates weekly.
05
What we built
Six moves, from a unified catalogue to a store the family runs week to week.
BUILT ON SHOPIFY
A storefront that matches the store
We built the Shopify theme around the departments shoppers know from the floor, with brand walls for Ariat, Wrangler and Carhartt.
POS & INVENTORY SYNC
Two locations, one stock count
Both stores run on Shopify POS, so online orders pull from real inventory and offer local pickup at the nearest shop.
CATALOGUE MIGRATION
Thousands of SKUs, structured
We cleaned and imported the catalogue with proper size, width and colour variants so the right boot ships the first time.
FIND A STORE
Local shoppers still come in
A store locator and location pages keep Forest and Roanoke visible for the riders who want to try on in person.
PROMOS THE TEAM RUNS
Weekly offers without a developer
Homepage promo blocks (BOGO Wrangler, new Ariat arrivals, Carhartt tees) are editable sections the staff update themselves.
EMAIL & SMS
Events, sales and new products
A newsletter and launch flows keep the in-store community informed about events and drops.
06
The result
Within the first year online, Western Ways grew revenue 95% against the prior year and now ships select products nationwide while both stores keep their walk-in customers.
Measured against the prior 12 months. Source: Western Ways sales data; headline figure as published on thecreativelabs.io.
+95%
Revenue growth — first year online
2
Stores, one synced Shopify catalogue
1973
Family-owned since · online in 2026
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Tell us what you're selling.
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