Case Study
Olympic Bootworks: the Tahoe shop that finally sells online
work highlights
Olympic Bootworks already had the hard part: a legendary reputation, Olympians in the fitting room, and customers who drive hours to get it done right.
Online, they had the opposite: a basic Squarespace page, weak local discovery, and no clean way to move high‑ticket inventory (Fantic e‑bikes) without relying on walk‑ins.
Prism rebuilt Olympic Bootworks into a two‑site ecommerce system—POS‑linked inventory, a dedicated Fantic Warehouse microsite, and an owned Google + email stack—so the shop can sell while the team stays focused on bootfitting.
Location: Tahoe, CA
Focus: Ecommerce + multi‑site launch
Client: Olympic Bootworks
Scope: Website rebuild, POS‑linked ecommerce catalog, multi‑site, analytics + SEO, Workspace + DNS cleanup
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Snapshot
What you’re looking at:
A modern Olympic Bootworks experience (brand + services + bootfitting tech) plus a dedicated “Fantic Warehouse” shopping experience built to sell bikes online.
Scroll for the build, the stack, the story, and what changed.
Contents
- What we built
- How we built it (the stack)
- The story (7 steps)
- Outcomes
- Lessons for specialty shops
- Next steps
What we built
The problem (in plain language)
If you’re a specialty shop owner, you know this pattern:
- Offline, you’re busy. People trust you.
- Online, you’re hard to find—and your inventory doesn’t move the way it should.
- Your domain, email, and “random vendor stack” turns into a slow leak… until it becomes a fire.
That was Olympic Bootworks.
So the goal wasn’t “make a pretty website.”
The goal was: turn the website into a sales channel and an ops asset.
1) A new Olympic Bootworks website (brand + services + credibility)
We rebuilt the legacy Squarespace site into a modern, mobile‑first website that does three jobs:
- Explains what makes Olympic Bootworks different (and why serious skiers trust them)
- Showcases their heel‑lock bootfitting technology in a way that’s easy to understand
- Captures leads and demand from local search
This is the kind of build Prism does for SMBs that want a real engine—not a brochure ( SMB websites).
2) A dedicated “Fantic Warehouse” microsite (inventory + conversion)
Fantic inventory needed its own lane.
We launched a second site—Fantic Warehouse—built for one thing: help the right buyer find the right bike and buy confidently online.
Why split it?
Because “bootfitting + services” and “high‑ticket ecommerce” are two different user journeys. Two different intents. Two different conversion paths.
Multi‑site architecture let Olympic Bootworks do both—without compromise.
3) POS‑linked ecommerce integration (non‑Shopify, real constraints)
This wasn’t a clean Shopify replatform.
Olympic Bootworks already had a POS‑linked ecommerce provider (non‑Shopify). We integrated it into the new experience:
- Catalog + SKU structure
- Inventory syncing with in‑store sales
- Purchasing flow that doesn’t feel bolted on
If you’ve ever tried to make a “clunky vendor layer” feel premium, you know why this matters.
4) Content that actually helps sell (not just “branding”)
We packaged and edited video content into assets that work across the site:
- Hero story moments
- Athlete testimonials
- Product promos
This is the same content system we build for high‑leverage marketing libraries ( hottest content, YouTube).
5) A clean Google + email foundation (owned, stable, no lock‑in)
Part of the job was invisible—but critical:
- Google Workspace stood up and owned cleanly
- DNS rebuilt correctly (after legacy provider chaos)
- Custom email stabilized so it doesn’t break after a grace period
That’s the unsexy stuff that saves founders weeks of pain later ( Google).
How we built it (the stack)
This project is where Prism got real reps in ecommerce under constraint: POS‑linked inventory, multi‑site decisions, and shipping fast without breaking things.
Stack evolution (3 phases)
Phase 1 — From Squarespace to “first real upgrade”
We moved off a basic Squarespace presence and stood up an early AI‑assisted build (Vercel v0) as a fast first step ( AI website launch).
Phase 2 — Multi‑site + POS‑linked ecommerce
We wired the third‑party ecommerce layer into a modern UX while keeping inventory in sync with the POS (non‑Shopify).
Phase 3 — Replit + AI shipping cadence
We migrated both sites onto Replit, standardized on Git, and used AI CLIs as accelerants (Codex / Claude Code / Cursor) to ship faster and iterate safely ( AI, OpenAI).
Analytics + SEO (so the site compounds)
We implemented an analytics + SEO stack that Prism uses to compound results over time:
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Semrush
- Hotjar
That data feeds directly into ongoing improvements via SEO + growth.
Forms + lead capture
For structured forms that work on mobile and don’t feel like 2008:
- Typeform integrated across both sites ( apps)
The story (7 steps)
1) Legendary offline. Weak online.
Olympic Bootworks is not a typical local shop:
- Two locations in Tahoe
- Famous in the Bay Area among serious skiers
- Serves Olympians and elite winter‑sport athletes
- Led by Buck Brown, an engineer and inventor
Offline: trusted.
Online: basic Squarespace + one contact form + little local optimization.
Meanwhile, Buck had a warehouse full of Fantic e‑bikes that needed a real online channel.
That gap became the mission.
2) Build the first ecommerce experience (fast, credible, mobile‑first)
The mandate was simple: sell high‑end Fantic e‑bikes online.
So we built an experience that matched the brand:
- Clear product discovery
- Mobile‑first UX
- Search‑aware structure
- A checkout flow that doesn’t feel patched together
This was Prism’s first true “inventory + fulfillment + POS sync” ecommerce build—and it forced us to get real about the details.
3) Work inside constraints (because that’s real life)
The constraint set was classic:
- Non‑Shopify, POS‑linked ecommerce
- Clunky admin tools
- Early Vercel v0 integration friction
We used early AI tooling to navigate the vendor dashboard, inventory syncing, and product configuration without breaking the customer experience.
Where the vendor layer limited implementation, we made smart design compromises and protected the user journey.
4) Split the experience: Olympic Bootworks + Fantic Warehouse
Fantic deserved its own experience.
So we launched a second site: Fantic Warehouse.
- Built for buyers searching specifically for e‑bikes in Tahoe
- Optimized for inventory turnover
- Kept the Olympic Bootworks site focused on bootfitting, services, and brand trust
Two sites. Two intents. One system.
5) Migrate to Replit + AI for weekly shipping
We moved the main site off Vercel v0 and onto Replit, and kept Fantic Warehouse on Replit.
Then we standardized how we ship:
- Git workflow
- AI CLIs for faster iteration
- “Fix it, ship it, improve it” cadence
Result: faster edits, fewer lingering bugs, a maintainable codebase, and weekly shipping.
6) The DNS/email fire (and the fix)
The domain lived in an old GoDaddy setup, then moved into a founder‑owned Squarespace domain.
Hidden DNS records powered email. After a grace period, things broke.
Prism reverse‑engineered the DNS stack, coordinated with the old provider, rebuilt records, and stood up Google Workspace with stable custom email.
Outcome: owned infrastructure, modern email, no legacy lock‑in.
7) AI as a co‑pilot (not a replacement)
We used AI where it actually helps:
- Navigate confusing admin dashboards and vendor docs
- Implement and refactor code safely
- Use analytics + Semrush to guide SEO and content iteration
The pattern: human judgment + AI accelerants + tight client collaboration.
Outcomes
This is a qualitative case study, but the directional impact is clear:
search console performance snapshot
- Traffic, search impressions, and online engagement compounded over time
- Olympic Bootworks went from “great store, weak website” to a two‑site system built for brand + ecommerce
- Fantic inventory gained a real online sales channel instead of relying on walk‑ins
- The business escaped website + email technical debt and moved to owned infrastructure
- Prism gained deep ecommerce + POS integration reps that now power the broader Prism flywheel
If you’re a local or specialty shop with real demand and no bandwidth, this is the playbook.
Lessons for specialty shops & local SMBs
If you have product‑market fit but limited time for digital, you don’t need 47 tools.
You need a system.
Here’s what this project reinforced:
- Your offline reputation does not automatically transfer online. You have to translate it.
- Inventory wants its own journey. Don’t cram “services + high‑ticket products” into one funnel.
- Vendor constraints are normal. The job is making them invisible to customers.
- If you don’t own your domain + DNS, you don’t own your business. Fix this early.
Prism’s role is to own the full engine:
This is why local shop owners keep Prism around ( why local shop owners love Prism).
Next steps
Want the same outcome—without spending your weekends in DNS settings and ecommerce dashboards?
- Get a free analysis of your website, ecommerce setup, and local presence
- Review get started (if you already know you want Prism)
- Or talk with us and we’ll map the fastest path
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