Hobby Workshop
Long-term Magento, Hyvä and ecommerce consultancy for a growing UK hobby retailer.
The Model Workshop
Growing a specialist model retailer on a shared Magento platform
The Model Workshop operates as a distinct ecommerce storefront within the same Magento platform as Hobby Workshop. I provide ongoing Magento and Hyvä development, ecommerce and growth consultancy, search optimisation and technical SEO support across the platform.
Client overview
The Model Workshop is a specialist online retailer serving scale modellers and hobbyists across a broad catalogue of model kits, paints, tools, accessories and related products.
It operates as a sister brand to Hobby Workshop , but retains its own customer-facing storefront, branding and specialist audience.
I work with the business on an ongoing basis across Magento development , Hyvä, platform architecture, product discovery, technical SEO and wider ecommerce consultancy.
Project overview & objectives
Rather than creating and maintaining a completely separate ecommerce installation, The Model Workshop operates within the same Magento platform as Hobby Workshop using Magento's multi-store architecture.
The objective is to retain the efficiencies of shared infrastructure, integrations and operational processes while giving The Model Workshop the flexibility to develop as a distinct ecommerce brand with its own customer experience.
Magento multi-store
Supporting two specialist brands without duplicating the platform
Running multiple customer-facing storefronts from one Magento installation creates useful efficiencies, but it also introduces additional technical considerations around configuration, catalogue data, content and third-party integrations.
Store scope has to be handled carefully so functionality and content intended for The Model Workshop remain associated with the correct storefront without unintentionally affecting Hobby Workshop.
At the same time, genuinely shared functionality should remain centralised and maintainable rather than being duplicated unnecessarily between the two brands.
I work across this architecture on an ongoing basis, developing store-specific functionality, resolving scope-related issues and considering platform changes in the context of both ecommerce businesses.
Hyvä development
A modern frontend shared across both Magento storefronts
As the wider Magento platform evolved, I planned and delivered a move away from the previous frontend architecture to Hyvä.
The Model Workshop benefits from the same lighter and more maintainable frontend foundation used across the shared Magento installation while retaining its own customer-facing design, content and store-specific functionality.
The implementation uses a shared Hyvä foundation with store-specific themes layered on top where required. This allows improvements to be shared between the two brands without forcing both storefronts into an identical experience.
That balance is important for long-term maintainability: common development can remain common while genuine differences between The Model Workshop and Hobby Workshop are deliberately controlled.
Product discovery
Search and recommendations with Clerk.io
Product discovery is particularly important for a specialist modelling catalogue where customers may be looking for a particular manufacturer, product type, scale or modelling requirement.
Clerk.io is used for onsite search and product recommendations across the ecommerce platform. I support the technical implementation and ongoing development of the integration, including catalogue and category data, storefront behaviour and the components used to present search and recommendation results.
Operating multiple Magento storefronts makes store context especially important. Search data needs to resolve against the correct catalogue, categories and URLs for The Model Workshop rather than inadvertently using information belonging to another store view.
Product search is therefore treated as part of the wider customer experience alongside navigation, merchandising and conversion rather than as an isolated technical feature.
Long-term partnership
Ongoing ecommerce, growth and SEO consultancy
The Model Workshop is not a one-off development project. My work forms part of a long-standing relationship with the wider business, combining day-to-day Magento development and technical support with ongoing ecommerce consultancy .
That longer-term involvement allows platform decisions to be considered against commercial objectives rather than delivered as isolated development tasks. Work spans customer experience, conversion, search, integrations, technical SEO and identifying opportunities for continued ecommerce growth.
I also support the organic performance of The Model Workshop, reviewing technical SEO issues, site architecture and platform changes that affect how products and categories are crawled, understood and discovered through search.
Development, SEO and growth are considered as connected parts of the same ecommerce strategy, with changes assessed against their impact on the storefront as well as the wider shared Magento platform.
The result is an ongoing technical and consultancy relationship focused on continually improving how effectively Magento supports The Model Workshop as a distinct retail brand.
