Shoe Box caters to child customers

Randy Chalfin, owner of Shoe Box, fits Miya King, 5, right, with a pair of sandals, as Sabrina Dixon, left, waits to try on her shoes.Marlene Karas/View Marlene Karas/ViewRandy Chalfin, owner of Shoe Box, a kids-only shoe store located at 10907 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 130, looks for a pair of shoes for a customer. Advertisement

Five-year-old Miya King smiles as she examines the sparkling, pastel-colored shoes on her feet.

Miya is the first to sport the Lelli Kelly shoes, which just arrived at Shoe Box the day before.

Shoe Box, a full-service children's bootery and boutique, opened in the Anthem area at 10907 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 130, in March.

According to owner Randy Chalfin, each child who visits the store has his or her foot measured to ensure that each child receives the proper size, with room to grow.

"We want to make sure the fit is good," Chalfin said.

Chalfin said he decided to open the store last year after moving from California. Groovy Shoes of California, a family-owned chain of three stores that opened in 1974, launched Shoe Box. Chalfin worked for Groovy Shoes while in law school.

"We came here, and we couldn't find a shoe store," said Chalfin, who has a young daughter.

The store carries several brands of shoes that range in price from $30 to $220, including Roberto Cavalli shoes. Shoe Box also carries New Balance, Puma, Etnies, Guess, Skechers, Ecco, Pediped, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Fiesta, Kors, Play'n'wash and others. Tsukihoshi, a Japanese shoe, features green tea in the sole to combat odor. Chalfin said he tested the shoes on his daughter.

Miya's 3-year-old brother, Edward, walked into the store wearing racecar shoes by Dogi. The brand uses leather from Italy, Chalfin said.

Jill King, Miya and Edward's mother, said she first heard of Shoe Box through her husband, who is a friend of Chalfin's.

King said that when she was growing up in California, she remembered going to a shoe boutique for every pair of shoes. She said she remembered being measured by the same man each time.

"We don't really have anything here except Dillard's or Macy's or Payless. We don't have anything like a boutique," she said.

King said she enjoyed the personalized service and the styles found at Shoe Box.

"You can't get these styles at the run-of-the-mill store," King said. She said the prices are a little higher than average, but she doesn't mind.

"We don't mind paying more for shoes because we know they will last," she said.

Donna Dixon brought in her daughter, 4-year-old Sabrina, to buy shoes for spring. Sabrina is tall for her age, and when the shoe she wanted didn't come in a large enough size, Chalfin brought out a comparable shoe for her to try on.

"I know he's going to measure her foot correctly," Dixon said. "She would tell me they fit no matter what. He knows better."

Chalfin said the store currently carries shoes that would fit babies through teens, although he is expecting to carry women's size 9 and men's size 8 in the future to accommodate children and teens with bigger feet.

Shoe Box is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.