Owner of Cape Clogs Pam Irving's Cape Clogs store is both an entrepreneurial endeavor, and a way to pay tribute to her Swedish heritage.

"My grandparents came over from Sweden," and her grandmother would visit the old country as much as she could, always bringing Irving back a pair of clogs.

"It reminded me of a fishing town in Sweden called Simrisshann," said Irving, whose pride in her Swedish heritage is evident from the Swedish flag hanging on the wall, to the pair of antique Swedish clogs on display in the store.

"It's a great little village with lots of 'mom and pop' stores," Irving said of Simrisshann.

Irving said that, so far, she's enjoyed her time in Onset. "I've had a very good reception here."

Every pair of clogs is hand hewn from wood in Sweden and shipped to Irving in the states. Each has an orthopedic arch and the leather that covers the foot is hand-cut.

"Clogs have been around for 150 years and they were originally designed as barn shoes," said Irving. "It's a dying trade."

Sweden isn't the only country that makes clogs. "Every Scandinavian country has their form of a clog," said Irving.

Irving's interest in starting the business sprang from her Swedish background.

"I started just wearing them out on the street and everyone was like 'where did you get those?'" she recalled.

Irving decided to try to sell some of the clogs she loved to wear at a Boston trade show, and did $10,000 worth of business at that one show.

"Then I kind of knew I was in the footwear business," she said.

Cape Clogs offers an immense assortment: clogs for kids, clogs for men, and "philanthropy clogs" to raise awareness and money for causes such as breast cancer research and autism research.

The hand hewn shoes sell for $80 and up.

Cape Clogs is located  at 215 Onset Ave., and is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Irving expects to expand the store's hours during the summer.

For more information, visit www.capeclogs.com.