Carpet Monkeys

Currently, Carpet Monkeys is a bit useless as a shop for me. I don’t have any children but when my cousins were born I was in here looking for some of those extra cute little shoes that little feet need.
Carpet Monkeys have plenty, they are a quite private little shop that is as it seems meant for those of us who have a lot of money to spend, and an extremely high expectation in what a shop can offer you.
The interior is very upper class, and by that I mean it is perfect.
You can actually buy shoes here from birth till 16 years old, which means they have alot of stuff, and although everything is branded and designer, I did not know some of the names. Those I did know were brands such as Converse and Moschino. Some are pretty cool and I would buy them if I had enough money to do that one day, maybe. However I get the eerie feeling that it is a footballers wife with the big four x four jeep parked out side sort of place.
Having said that, all the shoes are shipped in from the best manufacturers in the world, the owner Fiona tells me they can come from as far as Italy or America.
The shoes here are definitely stylish and they are definitely expensive.

Since I don’t have any children I don’t tend to frequent kids shops but visited for the first time today in the hope I’d get my wee cousin a present.
I’ve got to admit, the only reason I noticed this shop initially was due to the odd name… I understand that a carpet monkey is a crawling toddler but it sounds like it’s trying too hard to be cool. No? I mean, who calls their kids «carpet monkeys»? How patronising!
Odd choice of name aside, upon entering this shop today I felt like I was entering someone’s very swanky living room! It was weird. I guess if the décor didn’t evidently cost hundreds upon hundreds of pounds you could feel a little at home. If you’re a yummy mummy. But I digress…
The staff were friendly and there were toys to keep kids entertained. But it almost felt like, should your child perhaps make a spot of mess on the carpet, they would frogmarch you out the store! The place looked so expensive it was overbearing! And I almost had a heart attack when I looked at the shoes. 99 quid for baby boots? Are they having a laugh? Not only that, the majority of the shoes were repulsive. To me, anyway. I mean, if I was Katie Price and wanted to tart my baby up to look like she’s 25, maybe. Gross. I can’t even remember some of the designer brands they had on offer but I do remember the majority of the shoes being priced in at over 50 quid. They weren’t all trussed up to look like boots for adults, thank God, but even the simpler, more fittingly childlike brands were pretty pricey.
They had some cute knitted hats but really, for their cost just knit your own bonnet. It’d only take an hour!
This shop may be suited for some mothers and dedicated followers of fashion but, should I ever become a mum, it wouldn’t style my kid like that. What’s the point in paying 100 pounds for wee bootsies your little munchkin will grow out of in a month? Why make your toddler look tacky? Why buy boots you will never feasibly let your kid wear? You could buy a 3 piece suite from the Sally Army for the same price these items cost.
I always reiterate when the staff were nice and they were helpful, the concept’s just not for me. I’m a firm believer children should be allowed to be children and, on sight of these naff prices, can only imagine this shop is geared towards the type of parents who really don’t want their kids to get messy — they might ruin the carpet, after all.