Buying childrens’ shoes can be a stressful end to the school holidays. The children (known as our “three twittering starlings”) are piled in the car for a 40 minute trip to Salisbury. Eventually we find a parking space and battle along the busy pavements to the shop. We arrive to find the room crammed full of children, fraught parents and overwhelmed staff. Ten minutes later we realise there is a ticket system and we are at the back of the queue. Meanwhile, my three-year old son is pulling dinosaur wellies off the shelves and my five-year old daughter is eyeing up a pair of Barbie flashing trainers. The young shop assistant, barely out of Start Rites himself, is agitated and glares at our baby dropping rice cakes over the side of the buggy. We leave the shop with no shoes (they did not have our size) and the children trailing behind pleading for dinosaur wellies and Barbie flashing trainers. Back in the car and another 40 minutes, trying desperately to keep the “three starlings” twittering, so that they will go to bed on time.
Thankfully, this laborious exercise is no longer necessary. ‘Jack and Jill’ which sits perched on the edge of Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, recently began stocking Start Rite shoes and a fitting service, with no prior appointment. After a ten minunte drive, we park easily and stroll down what is now a child-friendly high street with next to no traffic. In the shop, the “starlings” perch on stools, watch Walt Disney DVDs and play with a basketful of toys. This is an excellent way to divert children away from the dinosaur wellies and the Barbie flashing trainers and to keep the baby entertained. If the shoes you want are not in stock, they can get them in 48 hours. There are ‘loos’, baby changing facilities and a kitchen on site. We leave the shop with well-fitted school shoes, and the Dinosaur wellies and Barbie flashing trainers, as I am in a good mood. The whole experience was enjoyable and a good ‘outing’ to end the holidays.
