# The True Hive

**The Apiary Market application foundation, ten preserved design directions, and a local-to-growth business plan** for The True Hive in Madisonville, Tennessee.

Updated **October 31, 2026**. Status: **owner-approved public planning and interactive review**, not a production storefront.

## Build the actual site

Apiary Market (concept 04) is selected. The application uses **Astro + TypeScript, native Node and our own PostgreSQL inventory**, with **no Shopify or Docker**. The first slice has collection/detail pages, read APIs, health checks and private transactional inventory foundations, not live checkout or an exposed admin.

```sh
npm ci --ignore-scripts --no-audit --no-fund
npm run dev
```

Open `http://127.0.0.1:4321/`. Deliberate showcase mode requires no database and does not invent prices/stock. For native build, database, CI and Render details, read [development and operations](docs/14-development-and-operations.md) and the [approved specification](docs/13-production-foundation.md).

**Host boundary:** `preview.thetruehive.com` keeps all prototypes. The application foundation is live at **https://the-true-hive-app.onrender.com/** in deliberate showcase mode; Render is connected to this repository's `main` branch with **After CI Checks Pass** deployment enabled. The actual application targets `thetruehive.com` after content readiness, with Neon PostgreSQL in the same Oregon region. The selected infrastructure is a $7/month Render app in a Hobby workspace and Neon Free, not a paid Neon or Render database. The main-domain DNS remains unchanged.

## Open the studio

| UI | What you can do |
|---|---|
| [Design gallery](prototypes/index.html) | Compare ten original homepage directions and their coordinated store flows |
| [Project and business hub](prototypes/plan.html) | Read the actual plans, requirements, research, phases and business roadmap inside the UI |
| [Partner workbook](prototypes/plan.html?doc=questions) | Review confirmed decisions and the unanswered questions to discuss together |
| [Store preview](prototypes/store.html?design=hearth) | Browse/filter concepts, choose variants, build a demo cart and inspect checkout handoff |
| [Inventory lab](prototypes/inventory.html?design=hearth) | Explore fictional variant/location stock, sold-out and inventory-outage states |

Use the local HTTP preview, not `file://`, for the gallery's interactive features, shop and planning viewer. The preview command builds and serves only the approved static artifact, never private repository files. If the server is already running, open **http://127.0.0.1:4173/prototypes/**. Otherwise:

```sh
git clone https://github.com/Cody-Sims/the-true-hive.git
cd the-true-hive
npm ci --ignore-scripts
npm run preview
```

In another terminal:

```sh
open http://127.0.0.1:4173/prototypes/
open http://127.0.0.1:4173/prototypes/plan.html
```

The only studio browser-rendering dependency is the locally served, pinned Markdown parser; no CDN, remote font, live social feed or third-party tracking is loaded. Core homepage concepts still use ordinary HTML/CSS/SVG. `npm test` runs prototype and application unit cases; database and built-browser gates are separate commands in the operations guide.

For an existing checkout, skip the clone step. The [sharing/CI guide](docs/12-sharing-and-deployment.md) describes automatic deployment from reviewed `main` updates and the custom preview hostname, **https://preview.thetruehive.com/**. Its valid HTTPS certificate and enforced HTTPS were verified on October 31, 2026. The main domain and mail settings remain unchanged.

After editing planning or prototype sources, run `npm run build:pages` and refresh, or restart `npm run preview`, to regenerate the curated local review.

**Contact direction:** phone and verified social profiles for now. `contact@thetruehive.com` is documented for future use only; no forwarding/mailbox is being activated, and actual phone/profile values still need owner confirmation.

## Confirmed direction

**Product-led local sales; local pickup first, shipping later.** Build on the existing small-scale soap business and beekeeping, rather than assuming every prototype product is ready. Retail honey is not available merely because a honey jar appears in a mockup: the owner reports that the next harvest already has a purchaser. See the [business plan](docs/09-local-business-launch-plan.md) for the owner-approved current context and allocation constraints.

The future store is **our own primary-domain experience**, with PostgreSQL-authoritative stock/order rules and a later selected payment processor. Earlier Shopify recommendations are superseded. Render manages infrastructure, not merchandising/inventory ownership; admin authentication and payment lifecycle remain explicit follow-up gates.

**Apiary Market is selected.** All ten directions remain available for comparison/history. Selection is an owner decision, not a proven conversion-rate ranking.

## Ten design directions

| Concept | Visual hypothesis | Explore |
|---|---|---|
| 01 - Meadow & Amber | Warm heritage editorial, balanced story | [Home](prototypes/meadow.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=meadow) |
| 02 - Fieldwork | Modern working apiary, service-forward reference | [Home](prototypes/fieldwork.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=fieldwork) |
| 03 - Hive & Hearth | Premium plum, sculptural product rituals | [Home](prototypes/hearth.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=hearth) |
| 04 - Apiary Market | Neighborhood market and tactile product shelf | [Home](prototypes/market.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=market) |
| 05 - Honey House | Contemporary studio and architectural product grid | [Home](prototypes/honeyhouse.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=honeyhouse) |
| 06 - Blue Ridge | Blue landscape editorial and local goods | [Home](prototypes/ridge.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=ridge) |
| 07 - Golden Hour | Sunlit terracotta maker collection | [Home](prototypes/golden.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=golden) |
| 08 - The Quiet Hive | Precise cream-and-ink minimalism | [Home](prototypes/quiet.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=quiet) |
| 09 - Bloom & Field | Botanical frames and seed-catalog sensibility | [Home](prototypes/bloom.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=bloom) |
| 10 - The Hive Journal | Newspaper-like editorial commerce | [Home](prototypes/journal.html) / [Store](prototypes/store.html?design=journal) |

Each has an independently composed homepage and a coordinated collection/product/cart/checkout preview. Shared commerce behavior is intentional: no need for ten divergent stock engines to compare visual directions.

All prices, product formats, packaging and quantities in the shop are **fictional fixtures**. The cart stores only sample variant IDs and quantities in this browser; it does not reserve stock, collect personal information, take payment or create orders. Try the normal, last-jar, sold-out and inventory-unavailable scenarios. Social/contact destinations remain pending rather than invented.

## Planning library

| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [00 - Requirements](docs/00-project-brief.md) | Scope, production-versus-demo boundaries, measurable acceptance |
| [01 - Market research](docs/01-market-and-design-research.md) | Local/regional and national examples, evidence and limits |
| [02 - Experience and content](docs/02-experience-and-content.md) | Product-first customer journeys, services, social and content approvals |
| [03 - Architecture](docs/03-architecture.md) | Initial site versus integrated commerce; readable module boundaries |
| [04 - Data contracts](docs/04-data-and-integrations.md) | Content, products, inquiry and integration ownership |
| [05 - Decisions and risks](docs/05-decision-register.md) | Confirmed choices, recommendations and review triggers |
| [06 - SEO and acquisition](docs/06-storefront-seo-and-acquisition.md) | Crawlable commerce, local discovery, trust and customer funnel |
| [07 - Inventory and operations](docs/07-inventory-and-operations.md) | Variant/location stock, pickup, allocations, concurrency and owner workflows |
| [08 - Prototype comparison](docs/08-prototype-expansion.md) | Ten-concept rationale, shared journeys and evaluation criteria |
| [09 - Business launch plan](docs/09-local-business-launch-plan.md) | Existing soap business -> reliable local sales -> disciplined growth |
| [10 - Partner workbook](docs/10-partner-workbook.md) | Confirmed facts, open decisions, owners and gates |
| [11 - Business readiness evidence](docs/11-business-readiness-evidence.md) | Verified federal guidance versus unverified Tennessee/local confirmation needs |
| [12 - Sharing and CI/CD](docs/12-sharing-and-deployment.md) | Public approval, static artifact boundaries, deployment and recovery |
| [13 - Application foundation](docs/13-production-foundation.md) | Approved custom frontend/backend slice, contracts and acceptance |
| [14 - Development and operations](docs/14-development-and-operations.md) | Actual commands, native PostgreSQL, required CI, Render and recovery |

The hub renders these source files directly, including tables, diagrams, citations and internal links. There is no separate stale summary masquerading as the full plan.

## Website delivery phases

| Phase | Outcome | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| [0 - Discovery and selection](docs/phases/00-discovery-and-design.md) | Business inputs, research, shortlist and approved direction | Owner approves real facts, scope and design |
| [1 - Foundation](docs/phases/01-engineering-foundation.md) | Small production app, content contracts, controlled preview | Reproducible accessible foundation |
| [2 - Product-led local landing](docs/phases/02-landing-page-launch.md) | Real identity/contact/social; honest goods and planned services | No fake claims, stock, fulfillment or broken contact |
| [3 - Real local catalog](docs/phases/03-local-catalog-and-leads.md) | Approved products, useful detail and reliable inquiry/publishing | Actual product/operating information can stay current |
| [4 - Integrated store and inventory](docs/phases/04-commerce-and-inventory.md) | Real same-site store, hosted checkout, pickup and managed stock | Operational test purchase and owner training complete |
| [5 - Measured growth](docs/phases/05-operations-and-growth.md) | Justified workflow, channel and shipping improvements | Evidence supports the maintenance/operating cost |

Business milestones **B0-B6** in the business plan are a separate readiness roadmap. A completed website design does not satisfy legal/product/pickup/production readiness. Basic inventory administration launches with commerce, not after orders are taken.

## Privacy and release boundary

The owner approved the **complete current planning snapshot** for a public repository/Pages review on 2026-10-28. Future confidential details, buyer identity/terms, private finances, credentials and customer records are not included in that approval. **Noindex is not authentication.**

The Pages build publishes a curated static artifact, not the repository root. This is not the future production business site: real commerce uses appropriate hosting and excludes review plans, demo catalog/stock and sample carts. Review all future public commits; even files excluded from Pages are visible if committed to the public repository.

Before public launch, resolve the relevant [partner-workbook questions](docs/10-partner-workbook.md), approve real copy/assets/contacts, and implement only the selected production direction.