Difficulty finding somewhere to buy shoes for their own children prompted friends Kate Bouverie and Dani Palmarini to come up with the idea of opening a shoeshop.

The result was the opening of their joint venture The Elves and the Shoemaker in Bridge Street, Wye on Valentine’s Day.

Having bought the property at auction, the women were filmed as they developed The Elves and the Shoemaker for the BBC television programme Homes Under the Hammer. The item will be screened later this year.

Mrs Bouverie said: “Every parent knows how stressful it can be buying shoes. Our aim is to create a peaceful and happy environment for the children and the parents so that the experience becomes enjoyable.”

The shop will stock a variety of well-known brands, school shoses and more unusual continental brands and the duo are confident that the shop will be a success despite the recession.

Mrs Bouverie added: “We’ve put a lot of love and care into this shop. Obviously the recession is hitting many people very hard but people are always going to enjoy new and special places to shop.

“We feel that people are rather bored of bland high street shops and are looking for something more individual.

“Our shop contains toys for the children to play with while they wait.”