I have been fitting children’s shoes and orthotics for the last 10 years at a specialized children’s shoe store, where we specialize in helping children with “complicated” foot shapes as well as foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well. We need to carry high-quality and supportive shoes that are available in different widths, as that’s the only way we can guarantee to fit every single child. I am going to show you a list of the best kids’ shoe stores based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.
Children’s feet come in all shapes and sizes such as narrow, medium, wide, and extra wide, and instep height also plays a key role in what shoes that child can wear.
Kids’ Shoe Stores – Where To Go For Proper Fittings
While I have written specific articles explaining how to figure out your kids’ foot size from home, the most effective way to make sure your children are wearing the correct shoe size is to take them to your local children’s shoe store, where a shoe fitter can properly measure their feet and find shoes that fit.
The problem is that most children’s shoe stores have been closing down, and we are left with big retailers such as Nordstrom’s or Payless that hire sales associates that don’t know how to properly fit shoes. That is the reason why I created a list that showcases the best-fitting children’s shoe stores by state.
Alabama
Sikes Children’s Shoes
Address: 2920 18th St S, Homewood, AL 3520
Phone: (205) 879-3433
Website: https://sikeschildrensshoes.com/
Wagners Shoes for Kids
Address: 1825 Mcfarland Blvd N B, Tuscaloosa, AL 35406
Phone: (205) 344-6543
Website: https://wagnersshoes.com/
Alaska
No store found
Arizona
No store found
Arkansas
Paul’s Shoes
Address: 17711 Chenal Pkwy, Little Rock, AR 72223
Telephone: (501) 448-2774
Website: https://www.paulsfootwear.com/
California
Odelia Shoes
Address: 4172 Horvath Street, Unit 101, Corona, Ca 92883, USA
Telephone: (773) 732-0160
Website: https://www.odeliashoes.com/products/in-person-shoe-fitting-appointment
GoldenBug Children’s Shoes
Address: 5509 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618
Telephone: (510) 350-8334
Website: https://www.goldenbugshoes.com/
Brooks Shoes for Kids
Address: 1703 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Telephone: (310) 315-9898
Website: https://www.brooksshoesforkids.com/
Colorado
Little Feet Colorado
Address: 201 University Blvd, Denver, CO 80206
Telephone: (303) 388-9535
Website: http://www.littlefeetdenver.com/
Connecticut
Footbeats
Address: 420 Enfield St, Enfield, CT 06082
Telephone: (860) 745-5676
Website: https://www.footbeats.com
Delaware
No store found
Florida
Sesame Step Children’s Shoes
Address: 14083 SW 88th St, Miami, FL 33186
Telephone: (305) 382-2199
Website: https://www.facebook.com/SesameStepChildrenShoes/
Georgia
Coggins Shoes For Kids
Address: 2211 Roswell Rd #146, Marietta, GA 30062
Telephone: (770) 973-5335
Website: http://coggins.shoes/
One Step at a Time KIDS
Address: 900 W College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030
Telephone: (678) 705-4359
Website: https://www.facebook.com/OneStepataTimeKids/
Hawaii
No store found
Idaho
No store found
Illinois
Kinga European Orthopedic Shoes for Kids and Women
Address: 777 York Rd Suite 10, Hinsdale, IL 60521
Telephone: (630) 321-1399
Website: https://www.kingashoes.com/
Indiana
Big N Little Shoes
Address: 1058 Joliet St, Dyer, IN 46311
Telephone: (219) 836-5533
Website: https://www.bignlittledyer.com/
Iowa
Fit To Be Tied Kids SR
Address: 1551 Valley W Dr # 174, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Telephone: (515) 225-2596
Website: https://www.facebook.com/fittobetiedkids/
Kansas
Tradehome Shoes
Address: 1801 SW Wanamaker Rd #11, Topeka, KS 66604
Telephone: (785) 272-9839
Website: http://www.tradehome.com/
Kentucky
No store found
Louisiana
Bob’s Little Feet
Address: 4601 S Sherwood Forest Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Telephone: (225) 291-4850
Website: https://bobslittlefeet.co/
Maine
No store found
Maryland
Shoe Train
Address: 11325 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD 20854
Telephone: (301) 299-9662
Website: https://www.shoetrainpotomac.com/
Massachusetts
The Barn Family Shoe Store
Address: 25 Kempton Pl, West Newton, MA 02465
Telephone: (617) 332-6300
Website: http://thebarnshoes.com/
St. Pierre’s Shoes
Address: 77 Main St, Taunton, MA 02780
Telephone (508) 824-5163
Website: http://www.stpierreshoe.com/
Michigan
Connie’s Children’s Shop
Address: 23240 Greater Mack Ave, St Clair Shores, MI 48080
Telephone: (586) 777-8020
Website: http://www.shopconnies.com/
Minnesota
Little Feet Children Shoes
Address: 12981 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
Telephone: (952) 546-3188
Website: https://www.littlefeetkids.com/
Mississippi
Shoe Choo Train
Address: 860 Avery Blvd N, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Telephone: (601) 977-1100
Website: https://www.shoechootrain.net
Missouri
Laurie’s Shoes
Address: 281 Chesterfield Pkwy W, Chesterfield, MO 63017
Telephone: (636) 532-0017
Website: https://www.lauriesshoes.com/
Montana
No store found
Nebraska
Belle and The Bear
Address: 1265 South Cotner Suite 14 Lincoln, Nebraska 68510
Telephone: (402) 937-0572
Website: https://belle-and-the-bear.myshopify.com
Nevada
Pediped Infant Footwear LLC
Address: 6593 S Las Vegas Blvd Suite 155, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Telephone: (702) 564-2246
Website: https://www.pediped.com/
New Hampshire
Joe King’s Shoe Shop
Address: 45 N Main St, Concord, NH 03301
Telephone: (603) 225-6012
Website: http://joekings.com/
New Jersey
Ped-Agree Kids Shoes
Address: 637 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff, NJ 07481
Telephone: (201) 891-5919
Website: http://ped-agree-kids-shoes.business.site/
Castle Bootery Inc
Address: 52 Elm St, Westfield, NJ 07090
Telephone: (908) 233-7172
Website: http://castlebootery.com/
New Mexico
No store found
New York
Tip Top Kids’Shoes
Address: 149 W 72nd St, New York, NY 10023
Telephone: (212) 874-1003
Website: https://tiptopshoes.com/
Harry’s Shoes for Kids
Address: 2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
Telephone: (212) 874-2034
Website: https://www.harrys-shoes.com/Childrens.aspx
North Carolina
Mobley’s Shoes
Address: 7422 Creedmoor Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613
Telephone: (919) 518-1640
Website: http://mobleysshoes.com/
Tootsies Too Children Shoes
Address: 4732 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
Telephone: (704) 379-1992
Website: http://www.tootsieschildrenshoes.com/
North Dakota
No store found
Ohio
Lucky Shoes Easton
Address: 3870 Townsfair Way, Columbus, OH 43219
Telephone: (614) 475-4744
Website: https://www.luckyshoes.com/
Oklahoma
Kicks for Kids Shoes
Address: 8191 S Harvard Ave, Tulsa, OK 74137
Telephone: (918) 493-6465
Oregon
Little Feet Childrens Shoes
Address: 24 N Bartlett St, Medford, OR 97501
Telephone: (541) 779-5840
Website: https://littlefeetshoes.com/
Pennsylvania
Gino’s Shoe Store
Address: 2437 SR 309 Highway Dallas, PA 18612
Telephone: (570) 675-2029
Website: http://www.ginosshoes.com
Rhode Island
Yorker Shoes
Address: 1503 Hartford Ave, Johnston, RI 02919
Telephone: 401-274-2211
Website: http://www.yorkershoesri.com
South Carolina
No store found
South Dakota
No store found
Tennessee
Lonnie Young Shoes
Address: 2203 Bandywood Dr, Nashville, TN 37215
Telephone: 615-297-3984
Website: http://lonnieyoungshoes.com
Texas
Kidoshoe
Address: 2438 W Anderson Ln, Austin, TX 78757
Telephone: (512) 467-7463
Website: https://www.kidoshoe.com/
Terry’s Kids Shoes
Address: 3001 Loop 250 Frontage Rd # C119, Midland, TX 79705
Telephone: (432) 520-5534
Website: https://www.terryskidshoes.com/
FootTech
Address: 4206-19th Street Suit 500 Lubbock, TX 79407
Telephone (806) 799-1122
Website: https://foottechlubbock.com
Utah
No store found
Vermont
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel
Address: 2121 Essex Road Williston, VT 05495
Telephone: 802-879-6640
Website: https://lennyshoe.com
Virginia
Fit Right Kids’ Shoes
Address: 25050 Riding Plaza, #145 Chantilly, Virginia 20152
Telephone: 703.957.3274
Website: http://www.fitrightkids.com/
Washington
Kid Friendly Footwear
Address: 4832 California Ave SW, Seattle WA, 98116
Telephone: 206-933-2060
Website: http://www.kidfriendlyfootwear.com/home.php
West Virginia
The Shoe Story
Address: 114 Emily Dr, Clarksburg, WV 26301
Telephone: (304) 622-4434
Website: https://theshoestory.net
Wisconsin
Stan’s-Fit For Your Feet
Address: 17155 West Bluemound Road Brookfield WI 53005
Telephone: 262.821.1130
Website: https://www.stansfootwear.com
Wyoming
No store found
Washington DC
Ramer’s Shoes
Address: 3810 Northampton St NW, Washington, DC 20015
Telephone: (202) 244-2288
Website: http://www.ramersshoes.com/
How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape From Home
If you still can’t seem to find a local children’s shoe store in your area, start by reading an article I wrote where I explain the simplest yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home:
How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width
In that article I help parents determine their child’s exact foot size and whether the child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also will be able to tell you whether your child has a high instep or not.
Let Us Know About a Good Children’s Shoe Store in Your Area!
Do you have a good-fitting children’s shoe store in your area that you trust? Please help other families who might be looking for a children’s shoe store in your same area by telling us about your experience and whether you recommend that shoe store or not.
I receive several emails from parents that want to know about good-fitting children’s shoe stores in their area.
Please feel free to reach out to me anytime you are unsure about how a particular shoe style fits, or if you can’t seem to find a certain shoe style for your child. Remember that no matter what type of shoe you are looking for your child, it does exist, and I will help you find it: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
Be Careful Where You Take Your Child to Be Fitted for Shoes!
At the shoe store where I work, we help families that come to the store referred by their pediatricians or physical/occupational therapists, to have their children evaluated and fitted for orthotics and supportive shoes.
I have helped several children that were experiencing foot and leg pain, and most of the time the pain was related to the child wearing the wrong shoe style or the wrong shoe size. Most of the time these children were fitted for shoes at the shopping mall in stores such as Nordstrom’s, Foot Locker or Stride Rite, and I am sure you have heard of these places before. My main issue with these stores is that they don’t train their staff to be able to properly fit your children in the correct pair of shoes.
It’s really frustrating when I see a child that was fitted in these stores wearing the wrong shoe size, because wearing the wrong pair of shoes will lead to several feet issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns, as well as foot and leg pain.
I don’t know if you heard but most Stride Rite shoe stores have closed nationwide now. I am not surprised as they did a horrible job fitting children’s shoes. I remember helping several children that were wearing shoes fitted at Stride Rite and were experiencing foot and leg pain.
When children start complaining about foot and leg pain parents get really worried, but in most cases, this pain is coming from wearing the wrong shoe size or the wrong type of shoes. Something so simple such as providing your child with the correct pair of shoes will prevent foot and leg pain and save you time and money.
Something so simple just as providing your child with the correct shoe size helps prevent all of these foot issues from happening and you will be keeping your kids’ feet and legs healthy. Socks also play a key role in keeping your kids’ feet healthy, since they act as a barrier between your kids’ feet and the shoes.
There Are Kids’ Shoes That You Didn’t Even Know Existed!
Did you know that children’s shoes come in different widths? For example, children might have narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet, and there is always at least one specific shoe style that will fit the shape of their feet perfectly.
Never settle for shoes that run or fit “narrower” or “wider” than others. If your child has wide or extra wide feet, request the person helping you to provide your child with shoes that are actually labeled as wide (W) or extra wide (XW).
Please don’t forget to leave the name of your local children’s shoe store in the comments section area below.
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How do we know if they have received the proper training? Is there some kind of certification we can look for? Long ago I remember the people at our Stride Rite said they were trained in proper fitting (that’s why people went to their stores), but it sounds from your posts like I should not have believed them. Should I just try to stay away from any “chain” stores? There don’t seem to be many children’s shoe stores in Central MA, please help!
Hello Christy,
We helped a lot of children who were fitted at Stride Rite and came to our store with foot and leg pain due to wearing the wrong sized shoes. I think they make staff at Stride Rite take a certification, but they had such a big turnover that I guess it didn’t work for them. I wasn’t surprised to hear that several if not all their stores are closed now.
I was lucky to bet trained and work with shoe fitters that have been fitting shoes for over 20 years.
It’s hard to find a children’s shoe store that you can TRUST, but locally owned stores tend to provide better service than chain stores. I am working on putting together a database with the best children’s shoe stores by state, but I will probably have it done by August. Hopefully in the meantime someone from Central MA will let us know if there are any good kids’ shoe stores in that area.
I hope this helps,
Juan
Hi,
I live in New York area. Any recommendations for good kids fitting store for my son who has a flat feet and in-toeing?
Thanks!
Madhuri
Hello Madhuri,
I am not from the area but I have heard that the two most popular and family owned children’s shoe stores in the New York area are “Tip Toe Shoes” and “Runnin’ Wild Kids Shoes”. However, if there are any parents in the area that have a children’s shoe store that they TRUST please let Madhuri know.
Hello! I am aiming to open a children’s shoe store and I am in the beginning stage. Do you have any advice for learning to fit children’s shoes properly? I have not been in the shoe business before but have a passion for it, and owning my own business. Thank you
Hello Spence,
Congratulations for your initiative, this must be a very exciting time for you. There is a lot of information that involves fitting children’s shoes, and properly measuring and figuring out the correct child’s foot size is the first step in finding the correct pair of shoes, since different shoe styles fit different, even among the same shoe brand. If you want more information you can email me at: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com