Escalade Sports, a sports equipment company based in Evansville, Indiana, transitioned its websites from Drupal to Gatsby to address stability issues and reduce hosting costs. Lead developer Kennedy Rose initially encountered challenges with Drupal's instability, particularly during traffic spikes caused by successful marketing efforts. After experimenting with Node/Express and Next.js, Rose chose Gatsby for its plugin system that simplified data management and reduced data bloat by using GraphQL. This transition allowed Escalade to utilize React knowledge efficiently, improve project timelines by reusing prototype code, and significantly cut hosting costs from $5,000 to $5 per month by moving to Netlify. Although the shift to Gatsby required educating others about the new technology stack and addressing misconceptions about the need for a CMS, it ultimately eliminated previous complexities and enhanced Escalade's web infrastructure.