Cute to Boot is a completely unique shop specialising in quality footwear, accessories, homewares, books, toys and clothing for babies and toddlers.
It began when owner Toni Cochran, a nurse, was unable to find what she was looking for in baby shoes so started to look for herself what was available from artisan makers and time-honoured manufacturers here and abroad.
An online business followed and then in early 2019, Toni opened this beautiful browse-worthy boutique in Ipswich’s Top of Town stretch.
The shop stocks an impressive array of items carefully sourced from around the globe and displayed amid vintage and upcycled furniture Toni has collected and restored herself. The customers who’ve found Cute to Boot online and here in Ipswich are as varied as the range on offer.
“One customer was calling from the US for a gift to send someone in Australia,” Toni says.
“We had an order for one of the Kinderfeets bikes from Amsterdam, from someone in Amersterdam. They knew the brand and wanted to send it to friends in Sydney,” Toni said.
“And we’ve had people come in from Brisbane and the Gold Coast and orders from Kalgoorlie and Townsville.”
Those Dutch wooden balance bikes, incidentally, are brilliant for littlies as soon as they can toddle and then there’s another slightly bigger version for two-year-olds.
Toni said wooden toys were very popular as were anatomically correct dolls and wicker prams from Poland, and she tried to always have a range of toys to appeal to both boys and girls.
“Little boys actually love doll babies too and prams to push them around in, and things like tea sets…” she said.
There’s a range of beautiful children’s books – all read and hand-picked by Toni herself – and she keeps a range of baby products and clothing and, of course, those shoes where it all began. They come in leather versions from the US and ever-so-soft suede crib shoes from The Netherlands. There are sweet little sets of socks in boxes all the way from New York, and a koala soft toy that plays Waltzing Matilda.
Cute to Boot, at 182 Brisbane St – next to Soul Sista boutique – is open 9am-4pm Tuesday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturday. Check the Facebook for further details.
