STRAP
Cheryl Taylor, Editor, talks to Footwear Retailer Jenny Lewis, of Zap&Toes, Towcester, Northamptonshire. Q&A:
Name: Jenny and Paul Lewis Shop: Zap&Toes
Brands: Aigle, Bobux, Bogs, Froddo, Geox, Petasil, Primigi, Ricosta, Skechers.
Hometown: Towcester Family: 3 Teenagers and 3 Pugs.
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business? Before footwear retail we were both doing very different jobs. I was working as a Midwife and Paul was driving HGV’S. We had lived abroad when our children were young and had loved everything continental including shoes. After returning back to the UK we toyed with the idea of opening a children's shoe shop as we struggled to find shoes for our boys and we found the customer service and knowledge was lacking. In 2014 after our summer holiday we decided it was what we wanted to do. We got in touch with Laura at the Society of Shoe fitters completed their course and in 2015 we opened our shop in Towcester.
34 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • DECEMBER 2019
Where are your premises? Tell us about your shop, local area, customers and requirements. We are located in Towcester which is a small market town in Northamptonshire and you can find us within a small shopping arcade just off the high street. Towcester has really welcomed a children’s shoe shop as the nearest are a good drive away. We have been really fortunate to be supported well by the community. We work in partnership with our local schools providing discount vouchers for new reception staters and children who are on pupils premium receive a discount off their school shoes. We go into schools to do workshops on healthy feet and link in with visits to the shoe museum in Northampton. In return each year we have been thanked by our local schools by singing
Christmas carols to us this year we had 150 children it was amazing. Since opening we have been working with a local photographer Miranda Walton we use the children and families that buy our shoes for our website and any advertising that we do. We simply put a call out on social media and we have lots of children turn
up in their shoes to be photographed. We are very fortunate to have a large amount of regular customers
local to our shop and have a growing number that travel to get to us. Our customers are all about quality fitted children shoes with good customer service. We only employ one other member of staff. Claire has been with us for
2 years and is excellent. We are really fortunate to have found someone who is passionate about foot health as we are.
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