Case Study
Full-stack internal operations platform for a Rhode Island copper cookware restoration business. Built to replace manual spreadsheet workflows.
01 — The Problem
East Coast Tinning restores the tin lining inside antique copper cookware — one of the few businesses in the country still doing it. Behind the craft was room for operational improvement: every order, shipment, and customer interaction tracked in spreadsheets. As volume grew, so did the confusion. A new system would help information retrieval and training new employees.
The owner needed something purpose-built — not a generic CRM. That meant understanding the workflow before touching the code.
02 — The Process
The first step wasn't architecture — it was listening. I mapped the lifecycle of a piece: intake, restoration, packaging, shipment, and invoicing. Consignment pieces follow a different path than standard repairs.
I designed the requirements specification — a 15-table normalized SQL schema covering orders, customers, shipments, payments, and photo attachments in cloud storage.
Development was iterative. After each module shipped, I walked the owner through it in the actual app with real data. He showed me any wrong assumptions I made and had new ideas for features that would help his work.
03 — The Platform
The final platform covers the full operational surface of the business — from the moment a piece arrives to the moment a check goes out. Eight interconnected modules, all talking to the same data layer.
Full lifecycle tracking for standard repair orders — intake, status progression, notes, pricing, and payment status in one view.
Separate workflow for consignment pieces with lot management, piece-level status, and a payout dashboard with automated commission calculations.
Per-customer view with full order history, open balances, consignment activity, and a record of every piece they've ever sent in.
Before/after photo uploads stored in Azure Blob Storage, attached at the piece level and accessible throughout the order lifecycle.
SFTP sync that imports shipment data from UPS WorldShip daily — eliminating manual entry for every package that leaves the shop.
CSV export formatted for QuickBooks Desktop import, keeping their accounting workflow intact without requiring a live integration.
In-app label generation for outgoing packages, pre-populated with customer and order data to reduce manual entry at packing time.
Automated transactional emails triggered by order status changes — keeping customers informed without requiring manual follow-up.
Consignment payout dashboard — live commission calculation
04 — Technical Stack
Decisions optimized for a solo developer maintaining the system long-term: managed services, minimal operational overhead.
05 — Adapting Mid-Project
Halfway through, the owner mentioned a growing portion of their work was consignment — customers leaving pieces to sell, not restore. It had been tracked in a separate spreadsheet and wasn't in scope.
I built the consignment module as a parallel track inside the existing architecture using the same customer records, photo system, and status logic, but with its own lot structure and a payout dashboard that calculates what's owed to each consignor after commission. Adding it mid-project was the right call.
06 — Outcome
The platform replaced the spreadsheets entirely. Orders, customers, shipments, accounting exports, and consignment payouts all run through one system — consistent data, less manual entry, a clear audit trail.
The UPS WorldShip SFTP sync eliminated a daily manual import. The QuickBooks CSV export preserved their existing accounting workflow. The consignment payout dashboard turned a calculation that used to take an afternoon into a single screen.