It’s been a family business since 1975 - and now Jake Shoes is being handed down to a third generation.
The independent shoe shop has been a popular fixture of the Altrincham high street since opening in November 2017.
Its heritage actually goes right back to the mid-1970s, when Jake’s mum Carol turned her passion into a business by opening the first Jake Shoes in her hairdressing salon in Bridlington, before moving to Macclesfield and opening a store there, with Stockport following soon after.
Jake himself, who started helping out in his mum’s shop when he was just three, took over the business in 1998 and has continued to grow it, having had a store in Manchester city centre before arriving on George Street in 2017.
He’s now in the process of transitioning the business to his 23-year-old daughter Maisy, who herself started working on the shop floor as an eight-year-old.
“I started out selling Crocs for chocolate!” said Maisy. “They had just come out and were really popular and whenever anybody came in to buy a pair, I would go and find the right size.”
Maisy now splits her time between the Altrincham and Stockport shops, but has taken on much more responsibility over the last couple of years as her dad has stepped back from the shop floor.
“I’m still very much involved behind the scenes,” added Jake.
“And I'll always be there for guidance in the same way my parents have always been there for me. They helped me load the stock into vans when we opened in Altrincham!
“We also have a fantastic team of 10 here altogether, most of whom have been with us since we opened in Altrincham.”
Jake Shoes stocks a wide variety of men’s, ladies’ and children’s shoes, with popular brands including UGG, Dr. Martens, Birkenstock, Skechers and Kickers.
“We try to buy quite exciting stock,” added Maisy. “Customers always say we stock different stuff from other shoe shops. We’ve just had a really good season with Ugg, and we always seem to do well with Crocs and of course Kickers, who are so popular for school shoes at the moment.
“We’re also stocking a great new trainer brand called Victoria across our ladies, men’s and kids’ ranges, which is very exciting as not many stores in the UK have it.”
Maisy said that taking over from her dad was slightly “scary”, but that she was really excited for the future.
“I've worked here my whole life and I know all the customers and staff,” she added. “It's nice to be carrying it on.”
Jake Shoes, 24 George St, Altrincham WA14 1SF. You can also find them at 115 Princes Street, Stockport, SK1 1RB, or online here: https://www.jakeshoes.co.uk/
