“It’s One Big family!”

Deciding on the right pair of shoes for your child is an important part of the back-to-school process – of all the ‘tick list’ items you need to get your children prepared for the start of a brand-new year, giving them the solid foundations of quality and supportive footwear is paramount.

At Shoe Biz, the Whitsunday’s premier footwear supplier, the passionate team will welcome you into their store and treat each foot individually, just like they treat each person.

The family run business has been operating for over 30 and has two stores, one in Airlie Beach town centre and a second on Proserpine Main Street.

General Manager Andrew Allison says that, after all this time, it is the people they serve that matter most.

“It’s the generations and generations we get to serve,” he said.

“Most people know me, we’ve seen families come through, kids, parents, grandparents – those kids are now having their own kids – it’s like one big family!”

Andrew’s parents, Richard and Pamela bought the business in the early 1990’s because they wanted to create a place where all their family could work.

Both their children and grandchildren have grown up and worked in the stores over the years and, with Richard recently retiring, Andrew oversees operations while Pamela looks after the administration side of the business.

Andrew has been working in the business since the family purchased it, and he says that fitting shoes properly is a skilled part of the job that he has perfected over the years.

“We fit them, and we fit them properly to make sure they are comfortable,” he said.

“We are experienced and over the years customer feedback has meant that we only stock the best brands at a range of price levels to suit any budget.”

From Assics and Sketchers through to the more affordable Sfida, Shoe Biz only supply brands that they vouch for themselves.

Every customer is offered a personal fitting service as part of the price, as well as the “good old fashioned service” which is always included.

You will always see Andrew or Pamela there to greet you at the Airlie store while Liz DeMartini will welcome you at the Proserpine location.

Shoe Biz General Manager Andrew Allison with mum Pamela in the background

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