From purchase to a fully configured storefront — follow these steps to get Boardwalk installed, activated, and ready for your first customers.
Before installing Boardwalk, make sure you have the following in place:
Tip: If you're brand new to Shopify, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the admin dashboard before diving in. The Welcome page has links to helpful Shopify resources for first-time merchants.
Get Boardwalk from the Shopify Theme Store and add it to your account.
Go to the Shopify Theme Store and search for Boardwalk by Tropic Arts. You can also browse the store by category or style to find it.
On the Boardwalk listing page, click View demo store to explore the theme in action. This is the layout and design you'll start with when you install the theme. Take note of sections and features you'd like to keep or customize.
Click the Try theme or
Buy button. Shopify will walk you through
the checkout process. Once the purchase is complete, the
theme is automatically added to your Shopify admin under
Online Store → Themes.
Good to know: Shopify theme purchases include free updates and support from the theme developer. Your theme license is tied to a single store.
After purchasing, Boardwalk will appear in your theme library. Here's how to make it your live theme.
In your Shopify admin, navigate to
Online Store → Themes. You'll see your
current live theme at the top and your theme library
below. Boardwalk should appear in the library after
purchase.
Click the Actions button next to Boardwalk and select Preview. This lets you see how the theme looks with your existing store data before making it live. Take a moment to click through a few pages to check that everything looks as expected.
When you're ready, click the Actions button next to Boardwalk and select Publish. Confirm the prompt, and Boardwalk will replace your current live theme. Your previous theme is automatically saved in the library, so you can switch back at any time.
Not ready to go live? You can skip publishing and work entirely in the Theme Editor using the Customize button. All your changes are saved to the unpublished copy of Boardwalk, so there's no risk to your current live store.
When you first install Boardwalk, the theme's default settings are pre-configured to replicate the layout of the demo store you previewed in the Shopify Theme Store. This means all of the sections, blocks, and settings are already in place — giving you a fully built-out starting point to work from.
About placeholder images: The demo store uses curated photography to showcase the theme's design. Due to image licensing, these photos are not included with the theme. Instead, you'll see Shopify's default placeholder images wherever a photo appeared in the demo. Simply replace these placeholders with your own product photos, lifestyle images, and branding to make the store your own.
This approach means you don't have to build your storefront from scratch. You can:
With the theme installed, walk through these key setup tasks to get your store ready.
Go to
Online Store → Themes, find Boardwalk,
and click Customize. This opens the
visual Theme Editor where you'll make all of your changes.
In the Theme Editor, click the
Header section in the sidebar. Upload your
store logo and adjust its size. Then go to
Theme settings → Favicon (the gear icon
at the bottom of the sidebar) to upload a favicon — the
small icon that appears in browser tabs.
Click the gear icon at the bottom of the Theme Editor sidebar to open Theme settings, then navigate to Colors. Boardwalk supports multiple color schemes that you can assign to different sections throughout your store. Update the colors to match your brand palette.
Under
Theme settings → Typography, choose
heading and body fonts that reflect your brand. Boardwalk
supports Shopify's full library of free fonts. You'll see
a live preview of your choices as you browse.
Work through each section on the page and replace the placeholder images with your own photography. Click any section in the sidebar, then look for image picker fields. For hero banners and featured sections, use high-quality images that are at least 1920 × 1080 pixels for the best results.
Replace the demo headings, paragraphs, and button labels with your own copy. Pay special attention to buttons — make sure each one links to the correct page, collection, or product in your store.
Go to
Online Store → Navigation
in your Shopify admin (not the Theme Editor) to configure
your header menu and footer menu. Add links to your
collections, products, pages, and any other important
destinations.
Click the Footer section in the Theme Editor sidebar. Update the footer with your store's contact information, social media links, newsletter sign-up, and any additional menus or content blocks you'd like to display.
Click Save in the top-right corner of the Theme Editor. Use the preview button (eye icon) or visit your store's URL to review how everything looks. Check your store on both desktop and mobile to make sure it looks great everywhere.
The home page is just the beginning. Boardwalk's demo layout includes pre-configured templates for other important page types as well. To customize them, use the page selector dropdown at the top center of the Theme Editor to switch between pages.
Here are the key page types you'll want to review:
Where customers view individual product details. Customize the product template to control how product images, descriptions, variants, and add-to-cart buttons are displayed.
Where customers browse groups of products. Configure the grid layout, filtering and sorting options, and any promotional sections above or below the product grid.
If you plan to publish content marketing, review the blog listing and individual article templates. These control how your posts are displayed, including featured images, author info, and related content.
Don't forget to check the Cart, Search, 404, and Password page templates. Each one has its own layout and settings that you can customize to match the rest of your store.
Before removing your password page and opening your store to the public, run through this checklist to make sure nothing has been missed.
All products have titles, descriptions, prices, and at least one high-quality image. Variants (size, color, etc.) are correctly configured.
Products are organized into collections. Each collection has a title, description, and featured image.
Header and footer menus link to the correct pages, collections, and products. All links work and there are no dead ends.
At least one payment provider is configured and tested. Place a test order to confirm the checkout flow works end to end.
Shipping zones and rates are configured for all regions you sell to. If offering free shipping, verify the threshold is set correctly.
Privacy policy, terms of service, refund policy, and
shipping policy pages are created and linked in the
footer. Shopify can generate starter templates under
Settings → Policies.
Your store's email address, physical address (if required), and any social media links are filled in and accurate.
Preview your store on a phone or tablet. Verify that all sections, menus, and the checkout flow look and work correctly on smaller screens.
A custom domain is connected (or your
.myshopify.com URL is ready). Go to
Settings → Domains to manage your
domain settings.
You're all set! With Boardwalk installed and your essential settings configured, here's where to go from here:
Happy building! We can't wait to see what you create with Boardwalk. Every store is different, and the theme is designed to adapt to your vision — so have fun with it.