Shopify alternative · Single Fin for Surf ZoneLeave Shopify.
Own your online store.
The online store I built for Surf Zone to replace Shopify. The website shoppers see, the back office staff use, and one stock count shared with the shop's register.
Surf Zone · Cliff Road, Ramey, Aguadilla · since 1986
The case
This is the e‑commerce site we built for Surf Zone. It replaces Shopify.
Shopify, its add-on apps and the old Wix website, replaced by one store that belongs to the shop. Every screen on this page is the real thing, captured from the live build.
709 products · 294 boards · 1 stock count
The 1-minute film
The store, front and back.
Watch it with sound: every sale rings.
- 01What shoppers see. Surf Zone's own look, every product moved over, checkout through their own register.
- 02What staff use. A back office laid out like Shopify's admin, plus an AI helper that does the clicking.
- 03What you can plug in. Register, social, suppliers, scanner, rentals. Only if you want them.
The problem
Six apps, taped together.
Surf Zone has sold surfboards above Surfer's Beach in Aguadilla for 40 years. Online, the shop sells through Shopify.
To keep the website in step with the Clover register in the shop, they added a sync app. Then a bulk upload app. Then two apps for Instagram and Facebook. The main website lives on Wix. Six monthly bills, about $160 a month. And every restock gets typed into the Clover register by hand, then loaded again into Shopify.
| Bill | What it did | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify plan | The online store | $26 |
| Sync app | Kept Shopify and the Clover register in step | $69 |
| Bulk upload app | Loaded new stock into Shopify | $20 |
| Instagram shop app | Selling on Instagram | $14.99 |
| Facebook shop app | Selling on Facebook | $9.99 |
| Wix website | The main website | $20 |
| Total | About $160 | |
From Surf Zone's own bills, October 2026. Public price lists: Shopify plans, QuickSync for Clover, Wix plans.
Before and after
Rented, then owned.
- ✕A Shopify plan plus 5 apps: about $160 a month
- ✕The website and the register drift apart
- ✕Every restock typed into Clover, then again into Shopify
- ✕A look other shops have too
- ✓One store and one bill, instead of six
- ✓One stock count for the shop and the website
- ✓Supplier invoices turn into stock
- ✓Their own look, top to bottom
Switches by itself every few seconds.
Results
Everything came along.
Products
moved over from Shopify, photos and words included
Surfboards
listed straight from the owner's own stock sheet
Monthly bills
app bills, replaced by one store of their own
Order numbers
start after Shopify's last, so nothing gets mixed up
Front of house · what shoppers see
Their own website. Not a template.
Surf Zone's 40th-year look, top to bottom. Shoppers browse, pick a board and pay the way they already know.
Back of house · what staff use
Laid out like Shopify's admin. Nothing new to learn.
The same kind of screens the team already knew, now tied to the shop's own register, stock sheet and supplier emails.
The AI helper · Wonder Kid
Tell it. Tap Confirm. Done.
Wonder Kid lives inside the back office. Staff ask in plain English or Spanish. It answers from the shop's real data and does the clicking.
fins · Surf Zone
Add-ons · only if you want them
Want more? Plug it in.
The store stands on its own. If you want, it links to the tools you already use. Each link is optional. Use something else? If it can connect, I can link it.
Clover register
One stock count, shop and web
In-store and online sales come off the same count, and every sale lands in one register report.
From the owner, about the first system I built for Surf Zone (the rental site)
"…one of the best and most coherent rental sites I have seen both on the customer side and staff side. … She is also very easy and a pleasure to work with, super knowledgeable in fixing anything you might want different, and quick to respond. So Fix it and Forget it and spend the extra time doing what you love."
Selling on Shopify?
Here's how your store would move.
Step 1
I copy your store.
Products, photos, words, collections, policies, menus and order numbers come over from Shopify. Old links forward to the new pages, so Google keeps finding you.
Step 2
I build your look and your back office.
Your colors, your fonts, your story. The back office is laid out like Shopify's, so your team already knows it.
Step 3
You run both, side by side.
Shopify stays on until you're happy. When you say yes, your domain moves over and Shopify is cancelled.
Under the hood, in plain words
Built to be fast, safe and found.
The store runs on Cloudflare's network, close to every shopper.
Card numbers go straight to the payment company (Clover for Surf Zone), never through the store.
Clean titles, descriptions, a sitemap, and old Shopify links that forward. More on SEO, GEO and AEO.
A staff password for the back office, and a manager PIN for price and count changes.
The AI helpers answer in English or Spanish and never change a thing without a person's OK.
The register's stock count drives the website, so a board sold in the shop is gone online too.
Questions
Good to know.
What is Single Fin?
Single Fin is a Shopify alternative: the online store and back office built for Surf Zone in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to replace Shopify. Shoppers get the shop's own website and checkout, staff get a back office laid out like Shopify's admin, and the shop's Clover register and the website share one stock count.
Can you move my Shopify store to my own website?
Yes. Products, photos, descriptions, collections, policies and menus are copied from Shopify, and old Shopify links forward to the new pages so search engines and bookmarks keep working. New order numbers carry on after your last Shopify order.
Do I have to cancel Shopify right away?
No. Both run side by side until you are happy with the new store. Shopify is only cancelled when you say yes.
Will my staff need to learn a new system?
Very little. The back office is laid out like Shopify's admin, with the same kind of product list, orders, discounts and settings. An AI helper answers how-to questions in English or Spanish.
Can it connect to my register or other tools?
Yes, if you want it to. Surf Zone's store works with its Clover register, a barcode scanner app, supplier emails, Instagram and Facebook, and its board rental bookings. Every link is optional, and other tools can be connected when they offer a way in.
Does the AI change things on its own?
No. The AI helper drafts a change and shows it on a card. Nothing changes until a person types their name and taps Confirm, and price or count changes also need a manager's PIN.
How do I get my own store?
Book a free call or call Miriam at (904) 614-7190. Bring your Shopify store's link and you will see how your store would move.
Your store, next
Selling on Shopify? Let's build your own store.
Single Fin is one of my custom apps for small businesses. Send me your Shopify link and I'll show you how your store would move, front and back.