Looking to open a shoe shop

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Where I live there are a lot of independent traders on the higher street and everyone is really supportive of local businesses. There is no shoe shop, and this often gets mentioned. We have a very large shopping centre 2 miles away that has all the high street names.

If I opened a shoe shop, I'd need to sell 70 pairs of shoes a month to cover the commercial rent. I've no idea how many shoes I could sell, it's so hard to measure demand.

If there was a local shoe shop, specialising in children's shoes, would you buy from them or go straight to the shopping centre? Intend to promote personalised service and be very child friendly. TIA

A person in my family has a shoe shop which he runs alone. There's no stock loss. Some shoes are in boxes on high shelves, some in the stock room. Nobody robs him while he's in the stockroom.
If he has a few families in they just wait, as you would in any busy shop.

Have you got enough funds to pay all the up front costs, i.e. shopfittings, equipment, signage, rent in advance, advertising, etc., plus having to buy a huge number of shoes - i.e. different colours and sizes in each shoe you sell. You'd be looking at tens of thousands of pounds spent before you open the doors.

People used to travel from miles around to an independent shoe shop in a run down area because they had a reputation for fantastic children's shoe fitting (they diagnosed my dd's pronation as a toddler). It closed when the owners retired. Itvdold children's & adults shoes. My mum used to go there because she is a ladies size 2.5.

Now there is another shoe shop in the main town but again people travel miles. Again the owner has a reputation for really knowing her stuff with regards to shoe fitting. It sells children's shoes only.

Not easy I don't think OP but perfectly possible. There are 2 boutique kids shoe shops in my nearest town and village doing a roaring trade. They sell the brands a pp mentioned above "They stocked Bobux, Geox, Hummel trainers etc." Plus the Italian brands of school shoes for about £50-65.

I think one of the shops is run by a single woman who has the stock room door wide open when she pops in.

Also, a big jar of wrapped sweeties on the counter and being inviting mothers to help themselves while they wait goes down well. (Good child behaviour bribery too I guess!)

As for additional revenue streams, can you sell some big markup items such as shoe charms, especially character ones?
(placed onto the demo shoes so child wants them already and not the inferior plain pair from the stock room).

Other things.....

Personally I would really like to be able to buy a decent brand of school white non mark sole trainers. I Clarks / Start Rite ones never fit well and I'd definitely pay more for a less chunky pair in different foot shapes.

So called lacing systems such as Hickies and other no laces options. Very special needs friendly.

Can you learn about the special insoles that deal with foot posture problems and sell those? The kind which are about £30 and a bit structured.

Shoes good for swelling feet in pregnancy? Those caffeine socks / other expensive socks meant to stop swollen feet? Or yummy mummy shoes.

HTH

Thanks for your replies, it's really encouraging! I'm really torn now whether to drop it because I can't predict the sales volumes or do what entrepreneurs do and take a risk. I'm really cautious and against risk - this is so hard for me!!

It is the boutique feel I'm aiming for, finance would be part capital and part business loan.

Could you do some market research? Speak to other independent shoe shops in other areas? I think if you're in a naice area and those people shop in the street you want to open your shop, you could have a market.

Worst case scenario if you lost all your capital & still had to repay the full loan just how dire would the consequences be?

finance would be part capital and part business loan.

Have you researched the amount of business loan you may get and what collateral/security the bank would require?

Business loans are notoriously hard to get these days, and virtually impossible if you don't have a property on which they can be secured.

Most smaller businesses requiring finance tend to borrow on credit cards or take out a private unsecured loan for a few thousand, having said on the form it's for a car or holiday!

Where will you make the shoes?

I like the idea. But fitting and comfort are very important in shoe business. So you need to find a good supplier willing to make small quantity.
I was trying to create a business in home decor and I found it very hard to find a good supplier willing to work on small order.
I wasted a lot of time on many prospective suppliers only to be told in the end that they couldn't work with small quantities. I was looking for suppliers in Asia. In Europe they should be more upfront from the beginning.