Charon Games
A custom Shopify store for a Christchurch tabletop and miniatures shop — built to sell a big, specialised range and handle NZ shipping on its own.
The Charon Games homepage — a parchment, magazine-style storefront with the current release front and centre.
The brief
Charon Games had been running on a basic Shopify theme for a year, but it wasn't doing their brand justice. They needed a site built specifically to match their store's unique personality while easily handling a massive, detailed catalogue. Browsing had to stay quick and effortless, especially for customers shopping on their phones.
The design
The desktop store takes inspiration from classic wargaming magazines, using parchment textures, clean serif headings, ruled boxes, and torn banner edges. Since Charon Games is a specialist shop, recreating that physical shelf feel makes a huge difference for their customers.
The colour palette relies on parchment and ink with an aged gold for buttons and card titles. A deep red is held back exclusively for announcements and special offers, making sure sale banners pop without cluttering the page.
What we did
- Custom-built Shopify theme: Coded from the ground up to fit their exact brand look and feel rather than relying on a template.
- Full collection setup: Organised and structured all product categories so browsing stays quick and intuitive.
- Mobile-first experience: Designed a clean, fast mobile layout for easy shopping on the go.
- Smart auto-tagging: Implemented special product tags that automatically update key details across the site to save hours of manual admin work.
- Google Form integration: Added built-in forms to help customers easily order new releases.
- Backend & setup: Configured Google Workspace, professional email addresses, domain name management, and routine site backups.
Built for the phone first
Most shoppers land on their phone, so that is where we started. Big tap targets, quick-loading images, and a bottom bar that keeps search and the cart under your thumb.