---
title: Import a starter site
description: "Fill your store with a sample catalog and a ready-made design, then remove it in one click."
url: "https://wpruby.com/knowledgebase/candy-shop-starter-sites/"
updated: "2026-11-04"
category: WPRuby Themes / Candy Shop
---

# Import a starter site

A starter site fills your store with a sample catalog so you can see Candy Shop working before you add your own sweets: products with images, prices, attributes and sample food information, categories, "Our Story" and "Contact" pages and a menu. Four of the five starters can also apply their own design: a style variation, header, footer and homepage.

Starter sites are optional and need WooCommerce.

Table of Contents

 [Toggle](#)

- [The starters](#The_starters)
- [Install a starter](#Install_a_starter)
- [One at a time](#One_at_a_time)
- [Remove a starter](#Remove_a_starter)
- [From the command line](#From_the_command_line)

## The starters

| Starter | Catalog | Design it applies |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Sweet Shop** | Gummies, chocolate, sour candy, lollipops and gift boxes: 21 products and a build-your-own pick & mix box | None. Keeps your current design |
| **Chocolatier** | Truffles, bars, bonbons, pralines and gift boxes | Chocolate Box style, centered boutique header and a chocolatier homepage |
| **Pick & Mix** | Sweets sold by weight, jars and build-your-own bags | Sherbet style, minimal header, footer with newsletter and a pick & mix homepage |
| **Retro Sweet Shop** | Nostalgic classics, sherbets, chews and decade boxes | Pastel Party style, candy stripe header, light footer and a retro homepage |
| **Snacks & Treats** | Crisps, popcorn, cookies, pretzels and snack boxes | Snack Bar style, minimal footer and a snack shop homepage |

| Sweet Shop | Chocolatier | Pick & Mix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ![Sweet Shop starter homepage](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083955/candy-shop-docs-starter-sweet-shop.jpg) | ![Chocolatier starter homepage](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083956/candy-shop-docs-starter-chocolatier.jpg) | ![Pick & Mix starter homepage](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083957/candy-shop-docs-starter-pick-mix.jpg) |

| Retro Sweet Shop | Snacks & Treats |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ![Retro Sweet Shop starter homepage](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083957/candy-shop-docs-starter-retro.jpg) | ![Snacks & Treats starter homepage](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083958/candy-shop-docs-starter-snacks.jpg) |  |

You can see each one live on the [Candy Shop page](https://wpruby.com/theme/candy-shop/).

**Sample data is fictional.** Products, prices and food information are made up. Replace all sample food information with your own before you sell.

## Install a starter

1. Go to **Appearance → Candy Shop → Starter sites**.
2. Choose a starter.
3. Leave **Also apply the starter's style, header, footer and homepage** ticked to get its design. Untick it to import only the catalog.
4. Click **Install starter site**.

With the design applied, the starter's homepage is a "Homepage: …" template on a new Home page, which becomes your front page. A header or footer you'd already customized in the Site Editor is kept.

Only administrators can install and remove starters.

## One at a time

One starter is installed at a time. To try another, remove the installed one first.

## Remove a starter

On **Appearance → Candy Shop → Starter sites**, click **Remove starter site**. It deletes the sample products, images, categories, pages and menu the starter added, and puts back the styles, header, footer and homepage you had before.

[![The Starter sites panel with the Sweet Shop starter installed](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083959/candy-shop-docs-admin-starter-sites.png)](https://cdn.wpruby.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/04083959/candy-shop-docs-admin-starter-sites.png)

- **Changes you made are kept.** Anything you changed after the import stays as it is.
- **Your own products are never touched.** Only what the starter created is removed.

## From the command line

With WP-CLI:

```
wp candy-shop demo starters
wp candy-shop demo import --starter=chocolatier
wp candy-shop demo status
wp candy-shop demo remove
```

`import` also takes `--skip-design` (catalog only), `--site-identity` (also set the site title and tagline) and `--hide-other-products` (move your other products to drafts while the sample is installed). `wp candy-shop demo restore`, or **Republish them** on the Candy Shop screen, publishes those products again.