When I got started with WordPress in 2009 I gravitated to a community run by Justin Tadlock called Theme Hybrid. His theme framework was easy to work with and Justin was very active in the user forums teaching and answering questions. It was exactly what I needed at the time.

I ran a web development company for a few years and I was only successful because of Justin and the Theme Hybrid community. It was a weird time in my life and I was trying to find my way after the economy crashed and there were no Project Management jobs to be had. I was forced to become a developer and learn a whole new way of working and thinking. There were some rough times and sometimes my only solace was found within this community.

Once the economy rebounded and I re-entered the corporate world of healthcare project management I continued to maintain a few websites, including my own on the Theme Hybrid framework. Checking in with the community and exploring the new projects was something I did less and less over the years but it always felt good to know it was always there when I need some help or just have a look around.

Tonight I decided to update my personal website and I checked into my old community to find that it has been, for lack of a better phrase, shut down. I have to admit that it felt like I had been punched in the gut. My old friends were gone.

This is probably the toughest blog post I’ve ever written. After 11 years of pouring my heart and soul into Theme Hybrid, it’s time to say goodbye. Sort of.

Yesterday, I officially closed down the payment/checkout system This was the first step in disabling the business aspect of the web site.

Going Forward, Them Hybrid will no longer be a WordPress plugin and theme business.

Justin Tadlock

And just like that, I’m all alone in my web development ventures. It was a good run and I am thankful that I had the Theme Hybrid community and Justin Tadlock to get me through a pretty rough time in my life. I have decided to abandon all of my Theme Hybrid tools in favor of the standard WordPress offerings with no theme framework. I guess it’s time I learned to stand on my own.

As I transition, my theme will look kind of broken…but I look forward to learning how to work directly with WordPress without a theme framework in the middle.It’s gonna be weird, but I guess the only thing we can really count on is that everything changes. Thanks Justin Tadlock, it was a good run.