Whittakers Shoemakers

i have just found a great shop! the staff couldnt have been more helpful. we took our son for new shoes, the childrens dept is downstairs but thats no problem as the staff even offered to watch our buggy! my son had a great time as there are toys to keep all kids occupied (my husband liked the train set!) will definately be going again.

We have two young kids (aged 4 and 5) and have always gone to Whittakers for their shoes. We’re very satisfied customers and wouldn’t consider going anywhere else!
Perhaps the best thing about them is that they won’t always try and sell you something. If they measure our kids’ feet and find that their present shoes still fit, they don’t try and ‘push’ a sale — they just recommend you come back in six weeks’ time to check again. This is much appreciated because they could easily put profit before customer service and take a different tack
There are several other things which are much appreciated too. Shoes for children are sold downstairs, which could be a considerable inconvenience for those with pushchairs etc — except they have set aside an area upstairs as a ‘buggy park’ complete with locks to ensure the safety of the buggies. There are toys and changing facilities and, in short, lots of little touches to make the experience a positive one for parents.
The prices aren’t at the cheap end but they’re not unreasonable, and given the lengths they go to to accommodate those with young kids they still represent good value.
All in all, an excellent shoe shop.

Having two small children i know how important it is for their bone development to have fitted shoes. The leading two brands in children’s fitted footwear is Clarks and Start Rite and the great thing about Whittakers Shoemakers is that they stock both, so you get all the choice under one roof.
The place is incredibly child friendly, the child department is downstairs so you have to leave your buggies at the top of the stairs however it’s nice and ‘contained’ downstairs with plenty of seated areas, plenty of room for children to explore and a good selection of toys to keep them amused should you have to wait.
It’s well staffed so you never have to wait long and the staff are polite, informative, friendly and go out of their way to help you. Even the small but remarkably appreciated touches like holding the doors open for you makes it such a positive experience shopping there.
They even have a toilet and baby change area now too, another massive bonus if you have kids.
I really can’t recommend them enough. Their customer service should leave many chain stores quivering in fear of the competition that good independent places like this are now offering.