A Merseyside mum’s ‘lightbulb moment’ has been given the seal of approval by celebrities.
Jennifer Bailey’s business, Calla Shoes, was created after the 44-year-old, who is from Newton-Le-Willows, was forced to change her footwear three times on her wedding day in Italy.
The mum-of-two has suffered from bunions - a condition where hard or bony lumps form on the feet - since she was a teenager but didn’t realise the severity of the condition until she was in her late 20s after years of wearing stilettos and high heels.
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The condition affected her mentally as she saw shoe shopping trips as “depressing” and became “embarrassed” when she had to get her foot out in front of strangers. Whereas physically it meant “quite a lot of crippling pain” for the mum-of-two.
Now, after six years in business, a host of celebrities, including Dragons' Den Sara Davies, Strictly’s Amy Dowden and Eastender’s Tamzin Outhwaite, have made Jennifer’s shop their go-to spot for shoes.
She told the ECHO : “It’s very exciting. When I first contacted the actress Tamzin Outhwaite I had decided that she looked like the glamourous type of lady that would also love a pair of comfortable and stylish shoes. She replied to me straight away and she has worn the shoes on the red carpet, on TV and in magazine appearances. I love seeing her and all our other celebrity fans wear them.”
The mum-of-two struggled to find comfortable yet fashionable shoes for her own wedding day back in 2013. After scrolling the internet for hours hoping to find “something suitable” or “someone who may have developed a solution, the bride was left feeling “frustrated and disappointed”.
With no luck, Jennifer made the decision to alternate between three pairs of shoes for the wedding day in Tuscany. A pair of dune shoes that were “pretty” were worn for the photographs, following this was a pair of “ugly” shoes that “would have been fine with jeans and a nice top” but not for a wedding dress and finally Jennifer ended her night in flipflops.
She said: “I did end up buying a beautiful pair of shoes but they were very painful I could only wear them for the ceremony and for about an hour or so afterwards sat down. In general, I knew which styles of shoes I could try that might fit - generally wide fit, or if they were sandals they had to have thick, soft straps that would cover my bunions. These were few and far between, especially occasion wear shoes and summer sandals.”
Jennifer recalled this was her "lightbulb moment", but that it wasn't until she was made redundant during maternity leave that she decided to push the idea forward.
She added: “Before I was made redundant I was very unhappy at my job, I had a new manager and she was making my life a misery. When I found out I was at risk of redundancy I also found out I was pregnant with my second daughter so actually, the redundancy money not only gave me a bit of time to start my business but also to take some maternity leave. I now know that starting my own business was what I was always supposed to do - I love every aspect of it and am probably less stressed now than I was when I was working. I like having control over my life and the freedom to make decisions.”
The mum began researching the industry and manufacturer and in 2016 launched Calla Shoes to give women who were in the same position as her the chance not to compromise on comfort and be able to wear stylish shoes. Calla Shoes now offers its customers an array of flat shoes, loafers, winter boots and summer sandals.
Jennifer explained getting her bunions removed wasn’t an option right now but maybe one day.
She said: “Perhaps one day when I have a minute to sit and do nothing. I train in martial arts four hours a week as well as doing cross-fit too. Exercise is an important part of my life and the thought of taking time off for an unnecessary operation - because I now have shoes that fit - and also the potential of not being able to do these sports to the same level again puts me off.”
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