A walking town needs a shoe store, and now Cooperstown has one.

The Village Cobbler, situated beside Doubleday Field, is owned by Wayne and Laura Jane Alexander. The shop, which will open Friday, will draw upon decades of experience in the footwear business but will also include other specialty items such as apparel, Italian giftware, jewelry and personalized gift baskets.

"We wanted to do something to integrate ourselves in the Cooperstown area," said Wayne Alexander, "to be a part of the community."

The Alexanders are happy to be able to support the Stride With Pride Program and will be selling products like Thorlo Socks. Thorlo helped sponsor the Stride With Pride kick off program held on Father's Day in Pioneer Park.

"We heard that people couldn't find a pair of shorts or shoes so it inspired us to get into a business that we know," Wayne Alexander said. "But then we thought that it should be more than just a shoe store."

Laura Jane Alexander buys Italian giftware from a specialty shop on Long Island, where the couple resided prior to relocating to Cooperstown. She was struck by the idea that Cooperstown could use a similar shop, and added espresso pots, serving platters and a variety of other goods to the roster along with candles and assorted gift wares and jewelry.

"I will be putting together personalized gift baskets," Laura Jane Alexander said. "For house warmings, bridal showers, birthdays and holidays. If someone lets me know what they want, I'll put it together for them."

The Alexanders are enthusiastic about contributing to local diversity. When they first decided to move to the area, they purchased a building on Main Street that includes Box Office Video and The Clip Joint as well as four apartments.

Polly Renckens, executive director of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Business Advancement Committee, said, "We're delighted to have people filling a need we've had in this community for a long time. They are very enthusiastic about this and are planning to have a great line of product and a lot of variety."

"It's very serendipitous," said Brenda Berstler, who was instrumental in creating the Stride With pride program.

Laura Jane Alexander said she's excited about the walking program, which coincided nicely with their plan. The Alexanders are in the process of putting finishing touches on their shop, and will be opening on Friday.

They will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. -5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.