When the stage of crawling and walking arrived for my first baby I wanted to find a shoe that would be appropriate for her age and her developmental stage. Based on the recommendation of my father-in-law, who is a pediatrician, I needed a comfortable leather shoe with ankle and arch support. Quality and durability were very important, and of course style and a reasonable price mattered. I thought that it would be easy, but it proved to not be the case. I wasn’t happy with all the off-the-shelf poorly constructed footwear I was finding.
During a family trip to my home country, Mexico, we found “the perfect shoes”. We bought several pairs for my daughter and my niece. Since then, no matter where we went at the library story time, at the playground, we heard one question: Where did you find such wonderful shoes? Such a high level of interest awoke the entrepreneurial spirit in me and I started wondering if other moms would be looking for a similar product, and if they were having the same issues as I was having when trying to find a good shoe and if I could bring it to them.
I spent several months researching shoe manufacturers. I need to find someone who not only could produce the right kind of shoes, but also could be a match with my deeply rooted commitment to social responsibility and ethical manufacturing standards. My first choice was to seek manufacturers in the US, but to no avail.
I have always been so proud of the talent and creativity of Mexican artisans. One of my favorite things to do is touring the craft markets in small little towns. And since I knew that the state of Guanajuato has one of the world’s leading footwear manufacturing clusters, I went to look there. I found an amazing community of shoemakers who hand produce baby shoes with all the orthopedic requirements little feet need. I couldn’t wait to share this wonderful product with other moms, and so I embarked with my husband on this journey and Wobbly Waddlers were born.
We are happy to be able to help moms on their journey of finding the right shoe for their toddler, to help toddlers on their development of their feet and their gross motor health, and at the same time to help support artisan shoemakers in Mexico making sure that they earn fair wages, competitive benefits and work in a safe and healthy environment.
Looking for great shoes and a local, responsible business? Look no further!