An independent children’s shoe shop offering a wide range of quality footwear has opened its doors in Stirling’s Port Street.
Clever Clogs is a family firm, owned by Lesley Urquhart, and is an expansion of the business she has been running in Falkirk for the past seven years.
The Clever Clogs shop in Falkirk’s Bank Street has proved popular with parents who enjoy personal fitting appointments and well-sourced footwear – and now Stirling families have the chance to experience that same first-class customer service.
Lesley says: “It’s always been in the back of my mind that there was a need for a children’s shoe shop in Stirling and we recently found the perfect property for it. We’ve always had customers who have travelled to the Falkirk shop to see us and now we can welcome them and new customers to our Stirling store. We’re renowned for our friendly customer service and expertise and we will never sell shoes which don’t fit properly – that’s really important to us.”
Lesley’s business is a real family affair with her two daughters working for Clever Clogs. Olivia Urquhart is a fully trained fitter who works in the Falkirk store, while also juggling a university course, and Lesley’s older daughter Emma Barclay manages Clever Clogs in Stirling.
She says: “It’s very much a family business which my daughters are involved in – plus all the women who work in the shops are people we’ve known for years. Everyone is fully trained to a high standard so they can professionally fit children’s shoes and we are also known for our huge amount of stock.
It can be quite daunting for young mothers when they go to get their children fitted for shoes for the first time and we pride ourselves on being approachable and offering a really friendly service. We also have a wide variety of different styles of shoes and we can help people make the right choices.”
During lockdown, Clever Clogs was able to trade online and offered a virtual shoe fitting service. Staff are now delighted to be able to welcome customers into the shops, following the lifting of restrictions last month, and business is going well in the new Stirling store.
Lesley said: “Port Street is a fantastic location for us and we’ve been getting lots of passing trade as well as customers booking appointments. Since opening in Stirling it’s been like the ‘Back to School’ weeks we see during the summer – which are always our busiest times of the year – with lots of people coming in to get their children measured and to look at shoes. It’s been great to have that contact with people again and to be able to show them our new stock.”
Clever Clogs offers a traditional shoe fitting service for children, from pre-walkers right up to EU44/UK10, as well as shoe fitting with orthotic insoles and referrals from hospital and independent podiatrists.
Customers can simply walk-in or appointments can be booked in advance on the website – www.cleverclogs19.co.uk
The store also runs specific Sensory Days for children who prefer a quieter shopping experience and offers a Loyalty Card scheme for returning customers.
Their stock covers a wide range of brands including Startrite, Ricosta, Lelli Kelly, Geox, Superfit, Bopy, Primigi, Hunter, Slipfree, Andinines, Panyno, Petasil, and Kickers.
Clever Clogs is based at 56 Port Street and is open from 10am until 5pm Monday to Saturday.
The store also has a Facebook page – www.facebook.com/cleverclogsfalkirk/ and is on Instagram – www.instagram.com/cleverclogs19and56/
