1. Project Overview
Vespertene Shop is a branded merchandise and digital product store for Vespertene Studio, a Sydney-based web design agency. The store will initially operate as a private invite-only platform for five staff members, serving as both a working product and a reusable starter template for future client e-commerce projects.
1.1 Goals
- Build brand awareness and showcase agency capabilities
- Learn and validate Medusa v2 as a platform for client projects
- Create a reusable, open-source e-commerce starter template
- Generate passive income via digital product and merchandise sales
1.2 Phases
| Phase | Scope | Access | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Digital products — wallpapers, Zoom backgrounds | Private — 5 staff, invite-only | Q2 2026 |
| Phase 2 | Public launch + Gelato POD t-shirts | Public | Q3 2026 |
| Phase 3 | Loyalty rewards, affiliate codes, scaling | Public + Members | Q4 2026 |
1.3 Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology | Hosting | Cost (Phase 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backend | Medusa v2 (Node.js/TypeScript) | Fly.io | Free |
| Frontend | Next.js 14 (App Router) | Vercel | Free |
| Database | PostgreSQL | Supabase | Free |
| File Storage | Cloudflare R2 | Cloudflare | Free |
| Payments | Stripe Elements | Stripe | % per transaction |
| Resend + React Email | Resend | Free (3k/mo) | |
| DNS/CDN | Cloudflare | Cloudflare | ~$1/mo |
| Error Tracking | Sentry | Sentry | Free (5k errors/mo) |
| Uptime | Better Uptime | Better Uptime | Free |
1.4 Cost by Phase
| Phase | Monthly Cost | Key Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (Private) | ~$1/mo | All free tiers + Cloudflare ~$1 |
| Phase 2 (Public) | ~$30–55/mo | Railway $5, Supabase Pro $25, Resend paid |
| Phase 3 (Scaling) | ~$90–265/mo | Monitoring, R2 egress, email volume |
Phase 1 is entirely free aside from the Cloudflare domain (~$1/mo). All services use free tiers sufficient for 5 private staff users.