The Little PENGUIN Shoes Story: Clinton County’s Children’s Footwear Brand
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN— Just over five years ago, an innovative children’s footwear company emerged in the Lock Haven area, quickly winning over customers with its mix of style, comfort, durability, and unique designs. Little PENGUIN Shoes is the brainchild of local Carleigh Johnson, a self-made entrepreneur whose personal quest for high-quality and affordable footwear for her two children turned into a thriving small business and homegrown brand.
Johnson was initially inspired to launch Little PENGUIN Shoes because she struggled to find shoes that were both trendy and comfortable for her children, and as the mother of a son and daughter, she wanted to be able to coordinate her kids’ outfits to match each other, including their shoes. This challenge inspired the creation of a footwear line that equally caters to both boys and girls.
The name of the company traces back to Johnson’s pregnancy with her son. “When I was pregnant with my son Wesley, we didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, and the first outfit we bought him was a one-piece outfit that had a penguin on it,” Johnson shared. “Then we started referring to the baby as our ‘little penguin’, and it just kind of stuck, so when I decided to launch the company, it just seemed fitting,” she added, revealing a glimpse of the sentimental value behind her brand.
In the creative process, Johnson does all of the shoe designing herself, and she has a team that helps put her designs into the proper format. She works closely with a family-owned factory that brings her whimsical ideas and designs to life.
Little PENGUIN Shoes offers sizes that range from infants to school-aged children and occasionally include adult sizes, enabling parents to match with their kids’ outfits. “Our smallest size group is six to 12 months, which are soft-sole shoes only. Our flexible soles start at size 12 to 18 months. We go up to size ‘8-9 Years’, which is equivalent to about a size three or three and a half,” Johnson explained. “Sometimes we’ll design an adult shoe to match or coordinate, and sometimes we just offer adult sizes to accommodate kids who are starting to grow into the smaller adult sizes like a five or six.” Adult sizes in the Little PENGUIN Shoes line range from size five to size 12.
Johnson’s initial shoe launch featured a T-strap shoe with a mermaid-themed print for girls, which she named after her daughter Aubreigh, and solid gray high-top sneakers that were named after her son Wesley. Each of her shoe designs includes a personal touch, as she names every style after a child she knows personally.
Johnson’s shoe designs aim to ensure consistency across genders by offering unisex styles with trendy prints that appeal to kids. “A lot of our styles are unisex, and all of our sneakers are unisex. It was always important to me to have options for both boys and girls,” Johnson emphasized. When a new style for girls is introduced, Johnson simultaneously releases a shoe for boys in the same solid color or pattern to create a coordinating shoe for siblings. Johnson expressed her feeling that there is a gap in the children’s footwear market, which she noticed before launching Little PENGUIN Shoes, as most companies tend to focus more on styles for girls than for boys.
Every Little PENGUIN shoe is constructed with high-quality materials designed for durability and comfort, providing long-lasting wear. Johnson prioritized foot development and growth when she crafted the signature Little PENGUIN custom-molded soles, which deliver optimal flexibility and support. She also took into account foot development in younger children and designed the smaller sizes with a wider toe box, accommodating the typical growth patterns of toddlers’ feet.
Little PENGUIN Shoes are primarily crafted with top-notch leather. “It’s a very nice flexible and breathable leather that wears well and cleans up super easily,” Johnson said. On occasion, glitter or shimmery materials are incorporated into a design, and Johnson expressed that she’s not afraid to push boundaries and experiment with new materials. One example is an innovative style featuring UV color-changing technology that transforms the shoes’ color when exposed to sunlight, appealing to kids of all ages.
In her creative design process, Johnson explained that she stays in tune with the latest trends by closely following popular culture, color trends for upcoming seasons, and even new movies and shows to draw inspiration. She also considers upcoming holidays that can be incorporated into a design. Staying in touch with what’s trending helps her determine the solid color options and the prints that she will integrate into her shoe designs each season.
Johnson also draws inspiration from ideas and suggestions made by her customers, her representative team, and even her kids. “Sometimes customers or my rep team will reach out to make suggestions and I’m always open to their ideas. I also ask my kids what’s popular or what kind of shoes they’d want to see, and then they come up with ideas.” Incorporating her kids’ ideas into the business endeavor has led Johnson to create styles that not only sell out quickly but also feature current trends that appeal to kids. She shared that they’ve suggested a Squishmallow and a Pokemon-themed shoe, and both turned out to be a hit.
Her collaborative spirit extends to partnerships with several small businesses, both locally and beyond, working together to craft coordinated outfits and mutually beneficial sales strategies.
Little PENGUIN Shoes has cultivated a loyal customer base, evidenced by the business’s 5-star reviews across multiple online platforms. Johnson attributes this success to crafting high-quality products that are set at reasonable prices. “I think we have a really amazing product, and I think the effort we’ve put into our shoes really shows. I’ve taken the time to really develop them, develop the soles, develop the quality, and set them at a great price point. I think there was definitely room in the industry for us,” Johnson said.
Customer service and feedback are top priorities for Johnson’s business model, and she also puts an emphasis on providing a personalized shopping experience. “I always try to make a personal connection and give great customer service to people because I think it’s so important,” she emphasized. “If you reach out, I’m the one that’s going to respond to your email, and if there are any issues, I’m the one who makes it right.”
Johnson keeps close ties with her customers across a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and, most recently, TikTok. She also has a shoppable website in addition to her social media presence.
On Facebook, Johnson maintains an engaging online presence, most notably on the “Little PENGUIN Shoes VIP” Facebook page. This page boasts over 17,000 members, and over time, it has become what she describes as “more of an online community” where customers interact with each other, exchanging style tips, share outfit ideas that incorporate Little PENGUIN Shoes, post photos of their children wearing the shoes, ask questions, and get sneak previews of upcoming releases. “The VIP page is also where we post our sneak peeks on Sundays,” Johnson revealed. “On Sundays, we post a sneak peek of what style is going to be released on Thursday each week.”
When asked how she manages her online presence, Johnson said that she has a team that she relies heavily on. “I have a leadership team of five who are absolutely incredible, and they help me with social media,” she said. “Two of them are local moms, and three are from outside the area.”
Johnson also has a team of brand representatives who provide product photos of her shoe designs and assist with other tasks. In exchange for photos of their kids sporting the latest Little PENGUIN Shoe design, her representatives receive early access to new style releases. The photos are then displayed on the shoppable website, showcasing a real-life sample of each style.
Johnson also has two local representatives who she calls on for quick-turnaround photoshoots, allowing her to showcase the latest style releases as soon as they are available for purchase. These representatives, Brittany Saville and Chelsea VanGorder, are both moms whose children have modeled Little PENGUIN Shoes for the company’s website. They also assist with social media marketing on Pinterest, day-to-day tasks, and more.
When asked about any upcoming styles customers can look forward to, Johnson shared that the business recently expanded its offerings beyond children’s footwear. “We just launched bamboo pajamas for the first time,” she said with enthusiasm. The pajamas, which are aptly themed with a penguin pattern, range from size 18-24 months to 12-14 years.
In mid-November, Johnson launched the penguin-themed bamboo pajamas in addition to matching fuzzy penguin-themed slippers. To add a personal touch to the product launch, Little PENGUIN Shoes brand representative Brittany Saville captured adorable photos of her daughter Blakely modeling the PJ set and slippers. Since then, Blakely has been featured on the banner of the Little PENGUIN Shoes website.
For those looking to shop small and local, Little PENGUIN Shoes offers free shipping on orders over $100 year-round. Orders are typically shipped within 48 hours, and Johnson also offers a local pickup option to save nearby customers the cost of shipping.
Looking ahead, Johnson plans to continue expanding her variety of shoe designs and may even add accessories to her inventory. However, she emphasizes that her primary focus will remain on growing the business and creating styles that appeal to both kids and parents alike.
Visit the Little PENGUIN Shoes website to browse and shop at www.littlepenguinshoes.com. To stay up-to-date with the latest style drops, find the company on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok.
Facebook Business Page: www.facebook.com/littlepenguinshoes
Facebook VIP Page: Search “Little PENGUIN Shoes VIP”
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/littlepenguinshoes
Instagram: Search “littlepenguinshoes”
TikTok: @littlepenguinshoes
Email: lps@littlepenguinshoes.com