A North-East company is offering customers the chance to create their own unique pair of shoes. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports.

IF you find yourself at home one evening, bored and with nothing to do, why not try making a pair of shoes? It's not as difficult as it sounds. North-East company, Simple Way, sell their practical, comfortable shoes in kit form, complete with and specialist needles for sewing and laces.

"There is nothing to cut or glue and the holes are ready-punched. It's like painting by numbers. If you can thread a needle, you can sew the kits and you can make your first shoe in an evening," explains Jill Woodward, who set up the company with her husband, Brian, nine years ago.

"People are delighted with the idea of creating something themselves. Lots of our customers make them for their families, friends and neighbours. Others make them to sell for charity."

As well as selling the kits, Simple Way makes ready-made shoes at its factory in Prudhoe, Northumberland. Shelves stretch from floor to ceiling and they're stacked with shoe boxes. Most of the business is mail order but there is a small shop at the front of the building.

Simple Way also offers a mobile service, delivering shoes to customers across the North-East who live in residential or nursing homes and find it difficult to get to the shops.

Brian manages this side of the business which, as well as Simple Way shoes, stocks well-known brands such as Equity and Cosy Feet.

"Before I went into the business, I used to work in a bank but we realised there was a gap in the market and just decided to go for it. There were people who wanted specialist footwear but didn't need orthopaedic or made-to-measure. We provide something in the middle," says Jill.

All of the shoes are made with soft, supple leather and flexible Polyeurethane soles. Each one is hand made so customers can choose the colours they want, and can even have them made in different sizes. Jill is wearing a particularly brightly-coloured pair, each panel a different colour.

Each pair of Simple Way shoes is unique and staff often receive letters thanking them for their work. "It is a very individual service and the customers really appreciate it. Often, we have them asking for someone specific to sew their shoes because they made such a good job the last time."

The business has gone from strength to strength and, in 2000, Jill won the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award for innovation.

She has expanded the range to include a selection of accessories, including leather bags, purses, glasses cases and key rings. The company also sells fleece jackets and gilets, as well as hats and scarves.

Simple Way now has around 50,000 customers on its database and its new website is attracting interest from across the globe. Jill is hoping to expand even further when she attends the Royal Show in Warwickshire next month. The company's stand will include sewing demonstrations and visitors will be able to try out the kits for themselves.

"The fact we sell our shoes in kit form is unique and I think people really enjoy having a go themselves," she says.

"I know a lot of people enjoy crafts but this is something they can actually wear and they find it very satisfying."

The emphasis at Simple Way has always been on comfort but now one of its most popular styles, the lace-up 'soft shoe', has become a favourite with the fashion-conscious.

"Companies like Red or Dead and Paul Smith are producing very similar styles. If you go into any high street shop, you will see them and, for the first time, we are getting customers' sons and daughters coming to us for their shoes. It's quite a nice feeling, although we were there first," says Jill.

"But these things come and go. They'll probably be out of fashion in a few months but we'll still be there. Once people have experienced the comfort, they come back to us again and again."

For more information, visit the Simple Way website at www.simpleway.co.uk or call (01661) 830318 for more details.