Parents needing more affordable options for their children’s footwear will take delight in a new shop which opens in the city centre today.
Kay Vahey of Hopscotch Kids on Upper Abbeygate Street — across the road from Candyland — says that her mid-range styles will cater for mums and dads on a budget, along with their fashion-conscious children.
“The kids these days are into fashion and image, even the young ones,” she said. “I have a four-year-old nephew and he tells his mother what he wants to wear. They are watching TV and watching older kids, and they just want to be like their big brothers and sisters.”
Ms Vahey, a mum of three from Ballybane, spent 25 years working in the Bon Secours Hospital before taking leave of absence to help care for her sick father, Mick Donelon.
It was after his death that she began helping a friend out in a children’s shoe shop, and realised her true passion at age 51.
“It is scary, yet it’s exciting, and I want the challenge,” she said.
Taking a very personal approach to sourcing products from suppliers in the UK and Spain, she realises the importance of knowing each item.
“Every child and shoe is individual. Every child needs to be looked at individually, and not every shoe will be suitable for every child,” she explained.
Catering for children aged 0 of 12 years, and carrying the Chipmunks, Chatterbox, and Gioseppo brands, Hopscotch Kids also has a selection of character footwear.
For more information see www.hopscotchkidsgalway.com or facebook.com/HopScotchkidsgalway
