A NEW children's shoe shop has opened its doors in Windermere with the owner hoping it will fill a gap in the South Lakes market.

Simon Dernie, the owner of Little Brogues on Birch Street, lives in the town and has spent more than ten years in shoes.

He has another wholesale children's footwear business but felt like Windermere and the surrounding area needed a retail shop for a younger demographic.

"Feedback from local people was that they really wanted somewhere to buy in Windermere that would service Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Kendal," said the 44-year-old. "We sell from first walkers through to school shoes for teenagers."

In the brightly-coloured and child-friendly shop there is a mix of footwear brands, including Crocs, Sketchers and Noel - as well as some clothing and rucksacks.

"We are qualified shoe fitters," said Simon, who works alongside partner Kate Williams. "I've been in the trade for more than 10 years and it's absolutely vital that a shoe is fitted correctly.

"It's just so important that from early growth development that a shoe fits right and there are many different sizes and shapes of feet and hopefully we can cater for most things."

The 44-year-old said that it was important that shoes were of a good quality and well fitted and he said they would 'never try to sell somebody something that didn't fit'.

The launch event, held last weekend, included cupcakes, balloons, free gifts and face painting.

The shop itself has been thoughtfully designed with plenty of focus points for children who might be apprehensive about having their shoes fitted.

"Distraction wise we've got DVD's playing, we've got books and toys," he said. "It's very very bright and colourful and child friendly. We've got a big table in the middle that changes colour made out of pallets. Our floor is made out of artificial grass which the kids are going to absolutely love."