Build a Launch-Ready Shopify Store for my Arts Business

You’re right. The earlier brief treated Ujima and BAMS too much like parallel storefronts. I rewrote it so the commercial structure is explicit: **Ujima owns and operates the only store, and BAMS-branded merchandise is sold through a collection within it.**

I need a Shopify designer/developer to build a polished, mobile-friendly Shopify store for Ujima Cultural Solutions, an arts and cultural business.

Fixed budget: $500

About Ujima

Ujima Cultural Solutions is a creative and cultural infrastructure company. It supports artists, cultural workers, arts leaders, and mission-driven organizations in sustaining meaningful work without relying on burnout, extraction, or self-sacrifice.

Ujima also leads the Black American Music Summit (BAMS), an initiative supporting Black artists and music professionals working across folk, roots, Americana, country, blues, Caribbean traditions, and related musical lineages.

Store structure

Ujima will own and operate one Shopify store.

Ujima will use this store to sell its merchandise, including BAMS-branded merchandise. BAMS will not have a separate store, Shopify account, cart, checkout, payment system, or set of store policies.

BAMS merchandise should appear as a clearly identified collection inside Ujima’s Shop. The BAMS information page should link directly to that collection.

All products will use the same:

• Ujima Shopify account
• Cart and checkout
• Payment system
• Gelato account
• Shipping and return policies
• Customer communications
• Order-management system

BAMS products should be tagged or categorized so Ujima can view and report on their sales separately without creating a separate storefront.

What I need

1. Shopify setup and theme customization

• Set up or configure Shopify Online Store 2.0 inside my Shopify account
• Use a free Shopify theme, such as Dawn, or recommend another suitable free theme
• Customize the theme using Shopify’s native sections and settings
• Build the site in an unpublished theme until I approve it
• Configure the navigation, footer, favicon, search, and 404 page
• Connect my domain and verify SSL
• Make the important content editable through Shopify’s theme editor

Please do not use a paid theme, page builder, application, font, or asset without discussing it with me first.

2. Homepage

Create one modular homepage with editable sections for:

• Hero section and primary calls to action
• What Ujima Does
• How Ujima Works
• Featured BAMS section
• Featured merchandise or collection
• About Ujima and founder information
• Email signup
• Contact or partnership inquiry

The homepage should help visitors understand Ujima quickly and choose an appropriate action: shop, learn, hire, participate, partner, donate, or stay connected.

The primary Shop call to action should lead to Ujima’s Shopify store. A featured BAMS merchandise call to action may link directly to the BAMS collection within that store.

3. BAMS information page

Create one standalone, editable BAMS page within the Ujima website.

The page should include:

• What BAMS is
• Why BAMS exists
• Core activities
• Track record and evidence
• Current program information
• Partners and supporters
• Ways to attend and participate
• Sponsorship and partnership information
• Donation call to action
• Link to shop BAMS-branded merchandise through Ujima

I already have external links for:

• Attending BAMS
• Volunteering
• Applying for the BAMS private showcase
• Donating through Fractured Atlas

These links should be added as clearly labeled buttons. The forms and donation system do not need to be rebuilt inside Shopify.

The BAMS page should also include:

• A way to request the sponsorship deck
• A way to begin a sponsorship or partnership conversation
• A Shop BAMS Merchandise button that leads to the BAMS collection inside Ujima’s store

Donation processing should remain on the official Fractured Atlas page. Donations should not be processed through Shopify.

4. Ujima Shopify store

Create one Shopify storefront owned and operated by Ujima.

The store should include:

• Shop landing page
• A collection for Ujima merchandise
• A collection for BAMS-branded merchandise
• Reusable collection and product templates
• Three to five products
• Standard size and color variants
• Cart and checkout setup
• Guest checkout
• Clear product, sizing, care, fulfillment, shipping, and return information
• Mobile-friendly product and checkout experience

Both collections must use the same Ujima storefront, cart, checkout, customer communications, policies, and payment system.

I will provide the product artwork, product information, available images, and approved wording.

Custom apparel design, original illustration, professional photography, and extensive product copywriting are not included.

5. Product organization and reporting

The contractor should create a simple and understandable structure for distinguishing BAMS-branded products from other Ujima products.

This may use:

• Collections
• Product tags
• Product types
• SKU conventions

The structure should allow Ujima to:

• Display BAMS-branded merchandise as its own collection
• Link directly to the BAMS collection
• Identify BAMS product sales in Shopify reporting
• Add more Ujima or BAMS-branded products later

This product organization is for presentation and reporting. It should not create separate stores, accounts, checkouts, payment systems, or customer experiences.

6. Gelato integration

• Connect Ujima’s Gelato account to Ujima’s Shopify store
• Configure three to five products
• Confirm that product variants, print files, mockups, shipping, and fulfillment are connected correctly
• Confirm that a test order reaches the correct fulfillment workflow
• Show me how to add more Gelato products after delivery

Ujima and BAMS-branded products will be managed through the same Gelato and Shopify accounts.

I will approve any paid test order before it is placed.

7. Contact and email signup

Include:

• One Ujima contact or services inquiry form
• One BAMS sponsorship, partnership, or sponsorship-deck form
• Clear confirmation messages
• Basic spam protection
• Delivery to email addresses or destinations I control
• An email signup form connected to Mailjet, provided this can be completed using an existing form, embed, or straightforward integration

The existing attendance, volunteer, showcase, and donation links should remain external links and should not be replaced by new Shopify forms.

Advanced email automation, segmentation, and campaign creation are not included.

8. Essential website setup

The completed store should include:

• Responsive desktop and mobile layouts
• Basic page titles and meta descriptions
• Meaningful alternative text for supplied images
• Clear headings, buttons, links, and form labels
• Reasonable color contrast
• Properly sized and compressed images
• Working navigation and footer links
• Testing of products, variants, forms, buttons, cart, and checkout

I am not requesting advanced analytics, a formal accessibility audit, or extensive search-engine optimization.

9. Policy pages

Create and format basic pages for:

• Shipping
• Returns and refunds
• Privacy
• Terms
• Accessibility contact or statement

These will be Ujima store policies and will apply to all merchandise sold through the store, including BAMS-branded merchandise.

I will provide or approve the final policy language. The contractor is not expected to provide legal or tax advice.

Design direction

The entire website and store should use Ujima’s established visual identity.

BAMS may use approved campaign artwork and a supporting visual treatment, but it should remain visibly connected to Ujima. It should not look or function like a separate business or store.

Use Ujima’s existing logo and brand palette:

• Dark Green: #1F4530
• Vivid Red: #CC0F11
• Dark Grey: #303030
• Dark Blue: #172841
• Gray Orange: #D6B25E
• Warm off-white may be used as a supporting neutral

The design should feel:

• Grounded, warm, spacious, and lived-in
• Calm and credible rather than flashy
• Highly readable on mobile
• Human and relational
• Connected to real people and real work
• Consistent across the homepage, BAMS page, and store

EB Garamond or a comparable free serif may be used for selected headlines, paired with a readable body font.

I will provide

• Shopify collaborator access
• Logo and brand colors
• Ujima and BAMS copy
• Product artwork and information
• Available photographs
• BAMS participation and donation links
• Founder information
• Shipping, return, payment, and policy decisions
• Consolidated feedback

Please ask questions when information is missing rather than adding unapproved claims or placeholder content.

How I would like to work

I prefer clear written communication and a straightforward process:

1. I provide the available content, products, links, brand assets, and account access. 2. You ask any necessary questions and recommend the free Shopify theme. 3. You share an early homepage preview or staged section so we can confirm the visual direction. 4. You build the complete store in an unpublished Shopify theme. 5. I review the completed store and provide consolidated feedback. 6. You complete one included revision round, test the site, and provide a handoff. 7. The store is published after I approve it.

Final delivery must be a functioning Shopify store installed in my account—not only mockups, design files, or uninstalled theme code.

Access and ownership

• Work must be completed inside my Shopify account using collaborator access.
• I will not transfer store ownership or share my primary password.
• I will enter sensitive banking, tax, identity, and payment information myself.
• Contractor access should be removed or relinquished after handoff.
• Any custom code or files created specifically for this project must be transferred to me.
• Any third-party assets or license restrictions must be disclosed.

The project is complete when:

• The homepage, BAMS page, Ujima Shop, and policy pages are complete
• Ujima merchandise and BAMS-branded merchandise are organized within the same store
• The BAMS page links to the BAMS merchandise collection inside Ujima’s Shop
• Three to five products are connected to Ujima’s Gelato account
• A customer can complete a mobile purchase through Ujima’s checkout
• Guest checkout works
• The contact and BAMS inquiry forms reach the correct destination
• The supplied BAMS participation and donation links work
• Important buttons, links, forms, products, variants, cart, and checkout have been tested
• No placeholder copy, missing images, or broken links remain
• I can update the homepage, collections, products, BAMS information, images, and links without editing code
• I receive a short recorded walkthrough or live handoff

Please include one consolidated revision round and seven days of support for correcting build-related problems after launch.

Not included

This project does not include:

• A separate BAMS Shopify store or checkout
• A custom-coded Shopify theme
• A rebrand or new logo
• Custom apparel or graphic design
• Professional photography or video
• Extensive copywriting
• Advanced analytics or custom event tracking
• Advanced Mailjet automation
• A formal accessibility audit
• A custom Shopify application
• Membership, course, or coaching portals
• Rebuilding the existing BAMS Google Forms
• Processing BAMS donations through Shopify
• Ongoing SEO, advertising, email marketing, social media, or website maintenance

Budget and timing

The budget is $450.

I would like the store completed as soon as responsibly possible. Please provide a realistic delivery estimate.

You do not need to repeat everything already shown in your Upwork profile. In your proposal, please briefly confirm:

• That you can complete this scope within the $500 fixed budget
• Your expected delivery time
• Whether you anticipate any paid application or additional cost