When your daughter goes into a shoe shop and asks to try on "all the red shoes", you expect the staff to roll their eyes in despair. In Poppy Red, Ilkley, we were greeted by a wonderful member of staff who dealt with the most random requests from a five year old with ease.
After a detailed fitting, one foot half a size bigger than the other (she takes after her mother), my daughter was brought a huge selection of red shoes. They were all a bit to "girlish" and she refused to try any of them on. I had my eye on a pair which made me think of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, but they weren't to be!
Staff were completely unflustered, in spite of there being other families in the shop, and my daughter was then shown a pair of red Lamborghini trainers. Her little face lit up. Thankfully they fitted perfectly, and she demonstrated how fast she could now run with a few laps around the shop!
The range of shoes at Poppy Red is amazing. There are sparkly shoes, cat shoes, rabbit shoes, school shoes and trainers. They also stock Pediped, which are a great brand which have a wonderful summer range which can easily be washed. The also have school shoes for girls which are practical, something I failed to find in mainstream shops. My daughter currently wears school shoes from the boys range at Clarks.
I have to admit that I really hate the fact that shoes are split so obviously into 'girl' and 'boy' sections. I was pleasantly surprised in Poppy Red to discover that the staff didn't once refer to boys or girls shoes and my daughter didn't feel like she was doing anything wrong by choosing red trainers! As I pointed out to her, it's great being a girl, because you can wear all kinds of shoes, but boys would find it more difficult to wear feminine shoes.
I have visited Poppy Red previously after I experienced appalling customer service at another children's shoe shop just down the road from this one. On both occasions that I have been to Poppy Red, I have had a great experience. The staff are wonderful with children and are incredibly patient. I would highly recommend that if you're in the area and need some shoes, that you pop in! You can also check out their website.
As for the red Lamborghini trainers, my daughter ran her first race in them this weekend and she certainly did run incredibly fast! They're great shoes and I love the bumper on the front as it will help that they don't get scuffed when she's playing football.
Disclosure: I was provided with a £40 voucher to try the fitting service at Poppy Red. I paid the extra for the red shoes my daughter chose. This had no impact on my post, which is honest and fair.
Disclosure: I was provided with a £40 voucher to try the fitting service at Poppy Red. I paid the extra for the red shoes my daughter chose. This had no impact on my post, which is honest and fair.
