Backpack

Backpack for needlepoint shops on Square

Square is easy to start with, which is why so many shops ring up canvases on it. The strain shows once you have a few thousand thread colors, a website and a stack of special orders. We keep Square tidy behind the counter so you can trust what it tells you.

Get started in 10 seconds Or start with a free shop checkup

Where needlepoint shops on Square get stuck

Square handles the counter well. Needlepoint shops tend to outgrow the way their items were first entered, and the website is often a separate system.

Two catalogs kept by hand

If your website runs on Square Online, it shares your Square item library. Many shops built their site somewhere else first, on Shopify, Wix or Squarespace, and now keep two catalogs by hand. Every canvas sold at the counter has to be marked sold online too, and some days nobody does it.

We get your register and website onto one set of counts, either by syncing the two or by moving the site to a setup that shares your Square catalog. Then we reconcile both against the wall, so you start from numbers that are true.

Custom amounts that never leave stock

Square lets you give an item variations, which suits mesh sizes well. Over time, though, canvases get added as separate items, as variations and as custom amounts keyed in at the register. Custom amounts are the quiet problem, because they sell a canvas without taking it out of stock.

We restructure your item library so each design is one item with its mesh sizes as variations, each with a SKU and a designer. Then we help staff drop the custom amount habit, which is often the single biggest fix to your counts.

Thread colors that are slow to find

Thread is where Square libraries get long. Looking up a color number at the register is slow when threads were named in different ways over the years, and counts slip when pulls for stitch guides are never recorded.

We rename and categorize your threads in one pattern, so a color number finds the right card on the first try. We watch your best sellers so you reorder before the wall goes bare, and give staff one step to record a pull.

Deposits with a note in the memo

A special order in Square often starts as a deposit with a few words in a note. Weeks later the canvas arrives, and someone has to find that note, match it to the right customer and remember what is still owed.

We keep a special order list tied to the customer in Square, with designer, mesh, deposit and promised date. When the canvas comes in, the customer hears from you and the balance is right there. Pieces out for finishing are tracked the same way.

Tax rates nobody has checked lately

Square collects the tax you have set up on your items and locations. Deciding where you owe tax, and filing the returns, is still on you. Shops that ship canvases or sell at out of state markets can end up collecting in one state while owing in several.

We review where your sales go each month, flag states that may need attention, and keep your Square tax settings in line with your registrations. Sales tax compliance is part of our bookkeeping, and a CPA joins when a question calls for one.

A customer list nobody writes to

Square builds a customer directory as you ring up sales, which is a strong start. Turning it into a monthly newsletter, a new arrivals note after market and a review request after a class takes hours most owners do not have.

We send your email from your real customer list, in Square's own marketing tools, Mailchimp or Klaviyo, and handle the replies that come back. We ask for reviews at the right moment and keep your Google listing accurate.

Reports that stop at the item

Square reports sales by item and category. If designers are not recorded the same way on every canvas, there is no clean way to see which designers earn their place on your wall.

We record the designer on every canvas in one consistent way and build you a monthly report by designer with units, sales and margin. It is ready before market, which is when you need it.

Not sure where your Square setup stands? The free shop checkup comes back with a website audit within 24 hours.

What we connect Square to

Square is the register. We make sure what happens there reaches your website, your books and your customers.

  • Square Online or your current siteOne set of counts, whether the site is on Square, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or WooCommerce.
  • QuickBooksDaily sales, fees and deposits reconciled so the books match the bank.
  • Mailchimp or KlaviyoNewsletters and new arrival notes sent to the customers Square already knows.
  • GoogleYour listing, hours and products kept right for people searching nearby.

This is your back office operating system. Use only what you need. If you want bookkeeping and email but not the website, that is a plan.

Questions shop owners ask

Do I have to switch away from Square?

No. If Square works for your shop, we work inside it. Most shops need the setup they already have cleaned up and looked after, not replaced.

Is Square enough for a needlepoint shop?

For many shops, yes. The limits people hit are usually setup problems rather than Square itself. If your catalog or website has truly outgrown it, we will show you the options and what each would take.

Can you move us to another platform if it makes sense?

Yes. If a different register or website would fit your shop better than Square, we will tell you plainly and explain why. If you decide to move, we plan it with you, bring over your products and customers, and check the counts against your shelves before the old system is turned off.

What does it cost?

Every plan is built around the shop, so there is no public price. You only pay for the parts you use. It is month to month, you can pause anytime, and the first 30 days come with a full refund.

Clover for needlepoint shops

The inventory side of Clover that nobody set up for you.

See Clover

Shopify for needlepoint shops

Shopify and Shopify POS on one catalog that matches the wall.

See Shopify

Squarespace for needlepoint shops

A lovely site that knows what sold at the counter.

See Squarespace

Spring market prep checklist

Before, during and after market, for buyers and exhibitors.

Read the checklist

Sales tax for needlepoint shops

Economic nexus, market sales and the records worth keeping.

Read the guide

Let's get your time back.

Pick a time that works. We'll show you what we would take off your plate first.

Opening the calendar.

Or open it on Cal.com

Or write to team@backpackops.com. We reply within one business day.