Back to the Drawing Board (Again): A Website Update from Dawn

Ever wonder what happens when a former SQL programmer meets WordPress? Well, you get someone who knows just enough to be dangerous — and stubborn enough to keep trying until something works.

Here’s the honest truth: I’m rebuilding our website. Again. For probably the sixth time this year.

The Problem (And Why I’m Not Giving Up)

Our beautiful pieces deserve better than a website where product variations don’t show images. I mean, who’s going to buy a pen when they can’t see what the different wood options actually look like? Nobody, that’s who. And after switching themes to fix one problem, suddenly we’re stuck with black and white everything and a store page that’s acting like a moody teenager.

The numbers don’t lie either — $30 in online sales over 12 months tells the whole story. Rex is creating incredible work daily, but if people can’t see it properly online, how can they fall in love with it?

What’s Different This Time

I’ve switched hosts, I’m learning WordPress and WooCommerce from scratch (again), and yes, I know there are professionals who do this for a living. In fact, I’ve got one lined up for when the grant funding comes through. Until then, it’s me, my former programming brain that keeps expecting SQL logic, and a whole lot of determination.

The silver lining? I’m getting faster at this. Almost all our existing products are back up and running, and I’m already planning how to showcase new pieces as Rex finishes them.

What This Means for You

More new products: Without the constant website emergencies, I can focus on photographing and listing Rex’s latest creations. There’s some amazing work coming out of the shop that deserves to be seen.

Blog posts might be a bit sporadic: My days are currently split between coding and everything else that keeps Sarkanys Rising running. But I’m going to push Rex harder to share more “day in the workshop” stories because, honestly, his are way more interesting than “Dawn fought with WordPress again.”

Things will keep moving around: As I figure out what works best, you might notice changes. That’s me making improvements, not breaking things (well, mostly).

The Real Talk

My back hurts from hunching over the computer, I dream in CSS code, and sometimes I miss the straightforward logic of databases. But every time I see one of Rex’s pieces — like that walnut pen he spent three hours perfecting yesterday — I remember why this matters.

We’ve got beautiful work that deserves to be shared with people who’ll treasure it. If that means learning WordPress the hard way while applying for grants daily, then that’s what we’ll do.

Until Next Time

Thanks for your patience while I wrangle this website into submission. Keep an eye out for new pieces (they’re coming!), and as always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood, resin, or the joys of small business website management.

Now, back to figuring out why my shopping cart keeps disappearing…

— Dawn

P.S. Rex wants everyone to know that while I’m wrestling with pixels, he’s still turning wood into magic. The workshop never stops, even when the website throws tantrums.