CHAPTER 2

Beautifully crafted shoes that are to be worn & loved. Introducing Made to Order. Your place to create your dream pair of CHAPTER 2 boots.

Exclusively handcrafted in our workshop in East Sussex, UK by our master shoemaker Tom.

24/06/2026

I probably should mention we’re closed on Wednesdays.

Open 11-5 for the rest of the week though just incase you were wondering.

23/06/2026

Our shoes are one thing in the shop but art & craft is another. Over the next few days I’ll be starting to share some of the amazing artists and makers who’ve trusted me with some of their creations and whose work is looking so lovely on our walls.

Each maker is a favourite of mine so I’m really excited to have a dream curation filling our space with inspiration, ideas and creativity.

Big thanks to:campling

mr.ben

dear.maker

You’ll be hearing more about each of these wonderful artists and craftspeople pretty soon…

22/06/2026

Tom was in the house yesterday talking shoes and showcasing the traditional craft of shoemaking as part of

We’ve both been in the footwear industry for 25 years so making shoes is normal to us and it’s easy to forget that shoemaking is on the endangered craft list and that it’s actually a pretty rare skill.

Having a space where we can talk about shoes and share our craft has been really lovely these past few days. Engaging with people on how shoes are made and explaining the work that’s involved is all part of keeping the craft alive 👞🔨

Thanks to everyone who dropped by and if you couldn’t make it yesterday we will be doing more demos and even planning some shoemaking workshops throughout the year so watch this space.

21/06/2026

Yesterday we opened the door to our little shop.

Shea & I quietly changed the sign to open and waited to see if anyone would come in. And they did!

I don’t think I could’ve asked for a more positive first day. Lots of friendly faces came through our door; some we knew, lots we didn’t, locals, visitors and all really supportive and curious about what we do. It was lovely to chat to people about our shoes and about the various art and craft that’s filling our walls too.

All the kind feedback gave me such a boost and the chance to step back to see what we’ve created these past few weeks.

Once we’ve recovered from just getting to opening I’m pretty sure we’ll do some kind of launch event as it feels like too much of a big achievement not to mark it in some way or another.

Today you’ll find Tom in the shop doing a shoemaking demo as part of so why not come & see how shoes are actually made. Drop in from 11-5. 👞🔨

19/06/2026

One last day before we open the doors so today’s the day I make this space look and feel like an actual shop.

We hit a couple of snags yesterday in attempting to put up rails in the old beams and battling components which don’t quite fit together. Got to try and stay calm today and might need to be a little bit creative with a solution but no doubt we’ll get there one way or the other.

And there’s a window to dress for . I’ve made a start but today it’s got to all come together 👞🔨

So close and yet still SO much to do.

17/06/2026

3 days till we open our doors and there’s still loads to do.

It won’t be totally finished by Saturday but it’ll be good enough and that’s ok as if we wait til everything’s perfect we may never open!

As a perfectionist that’s sometimes hard to accept as in my mind it should all be done and beautiful before we let anyone in, but I keep reminding myself it’s a space and a journey which is going to evolve and the main thing is that we start somewhere.

Let’s see what we can get done today to move one step closer to opening 💪🏼

16/06/2026

We’ve got the new floor down, and it’s gone pink 🌸💗

There isn’t a straight wall in the place so to say the floor was painstakingly laid is a bit of an understatement. Total hats off to Tom & dad for getting it done as it was definitely a mission and a half.

It feels absolutely mega to have a beautiful wooden floor instead of the broken old carpet tiles and the bare concrete of the past few weeks.

And now we’ve stained it pink. Yep, the floor is a gorgeous soft pink. And it’s amazing!!!

Seeing as the building is a very traditional black & white I was keen to add some colour into the mix somewhere and the floor seemed like the perfect place.

We could’ve gone for the easy option and painted it but instead we’ve stained it using a coloured wood oil.

Apply, wait, buff off the excess. It’s a bit of a process but well worth it as the result is super special.

The colour is there but as the oil sinks into the wood you can still see the grain, which means you get the beauty of the wood itself shining through as well as a gorgeous colour 👌🏼 I love it!

14/06/2026

Next Saturday we open our doors 🙌🏼

And on Sunday 21st our shoemaker Tom will be in store doing a live shoemaking demo as part of 👞🔨

Pop in from 11-5 to meet the maker and see how shoes are actually made.

You can find us here:

8 Waterloo Square
Alfriston, East Sussex
BN26 5UD

And if you’re in the village there’s lots of other craft to see as Alfriston is a part of Craft Town this year so you’ll find window displays highlighting a variety of amazing craftsfolk.

11/06/2026

Well would you look at that!

We’ve got a sign up and the shop is starting to look very smart indeed.

It took some deliberating but we settled on an earthy red brown for that warm leathery feeling, (which pretty much matches our signature chestnut Wren Boot btw) combined with a vintage cream for the lettering.

Vintage colours plus contemporary styling. Feels like it sums us up perfectly.

We’ve got .may.studio to thank for the a-MAY-zing hand painted sign. Like any good craftsman he makes it look easy but boy what skills!

And it’s always nice to work with nice people ☺️

10/06/2026

It’s a big day today. My baby is now officially a teenager AND the sign is going up at the shop.

I started Chapter 2 not long after Shea was born - he’s the 2nd chapter of our family and he likes to think the brand is named after him which I guess in part it is, so it seems quite apt that the sign is going up on his birthday.

For me Chapter 2 started as a kind of project; something creative after becoming a mother again, a way to focus on something outside all the baby stuff so that I didn’t lose myself to post natal depression, and it was something positive after having been made redundant as Head of Design for a global footwear brand.

I had no expectations other than to create something which felt special. No compromises because of sales targets, budget or other people’s opinions, just something which felt honest and beautifully made.

Between Tom and I our aim was to make the most beautiful shoes we could using our own skills. That meant design, sourcing and the brand vision for me, and the physical shoemaking for Tom.

I guess we did that but there’s still so much more to come from what we started, the shop is just the beginning of the next chapter in the story.

Address

Hailsham

Website

http://chapter2store.com/

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