2025 Website Migration -- First Update

Migration Update Letter to Market Managers
Date: July 2025

Dear Market Managers,

I hope this finds you well as we move through the heart of the growing season! I wanted to reach out with a quick update on the Locally Grown platform migration I wrote about last month.

First, thank you to those who have already explored the preview site and shared feedback. Your insights have been incredibly valuable as I fine-tune the final details.

Progress Update

I'm pleased to report that we're right on track for our August launch. Over the past month, I've been focused on:

• Squashing bugs reported by early testers
• Fine-tuning the mobile experience
• Making custom market themes display beautifully
• Optimizing performance even further
• Adding the finishing touches to make the transition as smooth as possible

Fresh Preview Data

I just refreshed all the preview data yesterday, so your preview now shows your market's current products, growers, and customers.

Important notes for returning testers:
- If you previously set a new password on the preview site, it's been reset to match your live site password - Market managers can now test email features! Your email address works normally on the preview (everyone else's emails come to me for safety) - Stripe payment processing is temporarily disabled - you can safely test order completion without any credit cards being charged - All features are fully functional now - the remaining work is mostly appearance polish

New Feature Highlight: Interface Style Preferences

One exciting addition: market managers can now choose which interface style different user groups see. You can keep customers on the familiar legacy interface while testing the modern interface with your staff. This gives you complete control over the rollout pace - change when you're ready, or not at all!

Want to compare? You can easily switch between the legacy and modern layouts to see how they look and feel. While the old designs still have their mobile limitations on customer-facing pages, you'll notice that many manager, volunteer, and grower pages actually work better on mobile now - even in legacy mode!

Have You Visited Your Preview Yet?

If you haven't checked out your market's preview, now is a perfect time! Your preview is waiting at:

https://[your-market-subdomain].locallygrown.us

(Don't worry - "locallygrown.us" is just my testing domain. After migration, your market will remain at your familiar .net address!)

Remember to log in first with:
- Username: preview - Password: heirloom

Then use your regular Locally Grown credentials (the same ones you use on your live site).

What to Look For

When you visit, I'd especially love your feedback on:

• How your custom theme looks (I've worked hard to preserve every market's unique style)
• The mobile experience (try it on your phone!)
• The new admin interface (much cleaner and mobile-friendly)
• Any workflows that feel different or need adjustment
• The ability to switch between legacy and modern views to compare

What's Next?

For the remaining five to six weeks before launch, my focus will be on:
- Working through the final display issues that are still present - Continuing to test everything from start to finish - Making sure nothing has slipped through the cracks - Double-checking that fixing one thing didn't unintentionally break something else

Your testing and feedback during this time is invaluable in helping me catch anything I might have missed!

Timeline Reminder

We're still on track for an August migration. I'll give you a full month's notice before the actual switchover date. The migration will happen overnight with minimal downtime - you'll wake up to the new platform with all your data intact. My data transfer yesterday took under fifteen minutes.

Your Feedback Matters

Several market managers have already shared valuable insights that have directly improved the platform. Don't be shy - if something feels off or could be better, please let me know! Every bit of feedback helps ensure this platform serves your needs perfectly.

Questions?

As always, I'm here to help:
- Email: eric@locallygrown.net - Support site: help.locallygrown.net

Thank you for your patience and trust as we prepare for this exciting upgrade. The new platform will ensure Locally Grown continues connecting communities with local food for many years to come.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,

Eric Wagoner
Founder & Developer, LocallyGrown.net

P.S. - Seriously, if you haven't checked out your preview yet, take 10 minutes today. With fresh data and working emails, it's the perfect time to see how everything runs!