A new shoe shop has opened in a Welshpool square after the owners successfully ran an online business for many years.
Brookfield Comfort, an online shoe retailer, has opened in Puzzle Square in Welshpool, hoping to continue growing as more customers come in to try on and purchase shoes in person.
Having been based in the area for a few years using one of the spaces as a storeroom, owner Andreas Andreou noticed when a nearby premises became available, calling the opportunity the “right place at the right time”.
He said: “We’ve been online for about four or five years. We first moved into this space back in August but have moved things in very slowly.
"It’s only in the past month that we’ve made the shop more accessible and open.
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“We’re from Welshpool and as well as online our first time physically selling shoes was just from our garage, eventually we needed a storeroom.
"We then found out that a space just two doors down from that storeroom was also available, so it felt like the right place and right time to launch a shop of our own as well.
“We sensed there was a need for a physical space for people to look at and try on shoes in the area, we’ve had success online but when it comes to buying shoes it’s always best to drop by in person and try them on. We also know that many people aren’t online or just prefer to do their shopping in person.
“We’ve seen a steady footfall since we opened, but we’ve been growing fairly gradually so we’re hoping to bring in more people.
"We’re looking at bringing in kids' shoes soon for example and that’s an area people really want to be able to try in person.
“We moved slowly as we didn’t want to run before we could walk. There’s so much more that goes into our own shop, like keeping a steady stock, talking to customers in person and taking on board the real-time feedback we get from what they want. You can see everyone reacting to what’s in stock and what they want in the future.”
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