children's shoes

[yoko]

hello,wondered if anyone can recommend a children's shoe shop,all i want is a pair of blue or black velcro strap shoes for my 4yr ds,have tried clarkes and john lewis but afraid it was all pants.where can i go in london ,not west or south,perhaps a stockist of elephanten or similar,am not looking for trendy or designer,but everything i've seen was so heavy he'd need to do leg exercises before he could walk in them.thanks.
ps:don't have a fortune to spend!

Have you tried Start Rite? No idea where mind you...

I don;t know if there is one in England but a BRANTANO footwear shop has opened near me (Scotland), but I think it's quite a large chain. We got ds a pair of Hush Puppies and Chipmunks.... both suede, very plain, navy blue and very light weight. Totally gorgeous.

It's a warehoue prices store and the 2 pairs together were £25!! Fantastic.

I always end up at Russell & Bromley for kids in Brent Cross - they seem to stock a really wide range of everything (some v expensive, quite a lot in 'normal' price ranges, nothing v cheap though). The big draw form me is that they always seem to have exactly what I'm looking for - and always have it in the right size. The fitters are very good too.

They don't fit the really cheap bill, but score heaps of points for everything else.

Soupdragon - they do Start Rite, and I think that they do Elephanten... (may be wrong there). Good luck.

thank you,there is a brantano near me m2t,which looks highly exciting!(i have a v sad life)i'd completely forgotten about russell and bromley

It's great Yoko!! i couldn't believe it when we went in. Clarks shoes are too fancy for my liking. And too bloody expensive! I'm Scottish afterall and I'm a cheapskate.

Try www.start-rite.co.uk for local stockists.

mumtotoby I have just discovered brantano last week - it's wonderful! Got a great pair of leather hushpuppies for my 4yo for £11.

Jasper - I know!! It only opened in my town a month ago!! Where has it been all my damn life!!!

By the way are they navy blue lace ups?

We have Brantano down here in the Midlands too - DS has had hush puppies from there every time so far.

Do Brantano fit them properly - width aswell, as my daughter has wide feet?????

They do here (though ds is fairly average anyway). The hushpuppies actually come with three different insoles for different width fittings.

Do you have an ECCO? They had some nice shoes in when I walked past the Sheffield store the other day. Also, we use a shop called Clinks - don't know if it is a chain, possible part of Clinkards (the adult's shop).

Mumwith2 - My son has an F width fitting and that was no probs at Brantano (honest.... I'm not on commission!!).

Yes ClaireandRich, Kids at Clinks (like the one in Meadowhall) is part of Clinkards and I think they do a range of shoes including Kickers, Clarks etc.

sounds great, I'll give them a try next time they need new shoes - they're currently in the washable clarks doodles, which were particularily handy when my son stepped in doggy doo doo the other day!!!!

mumtotoby they were old fashioned brown leather T-bar style. He's only 4 and I am determined to keep him looking like someone out the famous five for as long as possible!
Went back to Brantano today to buy shoes for a wedding - couldn't make up my mind so bought two really nice pairs for £35 in total.

How sweet, Jasper. I lost the Famous Five battle ages ago when nike trainers were purchased by concerned grandparents. Sob. they do look quite cool though >