The first records of our shop at 36 King Street, Belper appear in 1891 when it was occupied by a boot maker, Patrick Keys. After 1908 the shop was run by K & N Sowter who were Milliners and also sold clothing. In 1954 the Ashbourne Telegraph reported that ‘Messrs. Wigley’s Boot Warehouse Ltd., of St John’s Street, Ashbourne, have opened a branch in 36 King Street, Belper’. They were stocking well known makes such as Lotus, Delta, Clarks and Start-Rite, some of which we still stock to this day. In the mid seventies the business was sold to Wearra Shoes Ltd. In 1977 they updated their image and changed their name to David Scott. It remained so until July 1982 when the company brought in the receivers. At the end of September, the shop closed and the staff were made redundant. In October 1982 it reopened as James Baker, part of the Clarks group. Clarks at that time ran their business under different names such as Peter Lord in the city centres. By April 1988 Clarks decided to concentrate on their bigger shops and changed the name to The Clarks Shop, 8th April 1988 being the last day of trading as James Baker. Wards Shoe Shops Ltd opened shortly after – in the afternoon of 29th April to be precise, at the time selling mainly Clarks shoes.
Today we stock many brands such as Rieker, Josef Seibel, Tamaris and Skechers. Always looking for new and exciting products for all the family, the shop goes from strength to strength. Offering a friendly welcome, a loyalty scheme and good service to all of our customers. Visitors to our Belper shop will recognise many faces, including the manager Carole, and her deputy Lynn - who together have over 65 years of experience in the shop! There isn’t much that either of them don’t know about fitting shoes. They, and their newer team members have a wealth of knowledge and love helping customers find the perfect footwear - they look forward to seeing you soon!