Call it sole attraction One problem with having a lot of shoes is finding somewhere to store them.

By AMANDA SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Red pumps, brown loafers, pink platforms, navy flats, saddle oxfords, suede boots, strappy sandals, solid sneakers.
Women's shoes come in a variety of styles, shapes and colors. There are hundreds of name brands, and just about every self-respecting department store and boutique carries them. From the utilitarian black pump to the funky, chunky platforms, shoes entice and lure women with their colors and styles.
Some women want them all.
Somoud Niser, a YSU senior from Howland, loves, adores and is addicted to shoes. She estimates she has had more than 90 pairs as recently as this winter.
"When I go to the mall with my friends, the first store I go to is the shoe store," she said. "I love shoes. I can't go anywhere without buying another pair."
Niser said she's been to all the shoe stores in the area and has to travel to other areas to find different styles. "When I went to Florida, I had to buy an extra suitcase to carry all the shoes that I bought there. The next time I go, I'm packing an extra duffel bag."
Boots, sandals, heels, sneakers, she has them all. "Once, my mother put them all in a garbage bag and threatened to throw them away. She said that if I bought one more pair of shoes, both my shoes and I would be gone. I hid them in my car for a while, but eventually she caught on."
Storage: Where to put them all? There is only so much closet and under-bed space to be had in a home. With all of these shoes, it could be a logistical nightmare trying to organize them all.
"When I watch MTV Cribs, I pay attention to the stars' closets," Niser said. "I could care less about the rest of the house. I just want to see their rotating closets full of shoes."
At first she just kept all of her shoes in their original boxes, piled up in one of her closets. That wasn't that great, she said, because she kept forgetting what all the different pairs looked like. But when a friend bought a Polaroid camera, Niser had an idea. "I took pictures of all of my shoes, and clipped the pictures to the boxes."
But she has moved "far beyond" Polaroids. That was just a stopgap. Niser now has her prized possessions displayed in a redesigned closet.
In the process, she trimmed her collection to "just" 60 pairs.
Gender differences: Mark Jubelirer, owner of Reyer's Shoe Store in Sharon, has seen many women who love shoes.
"When a woman buys a pair of shoes, that shoe becomes her favorite at that moment ... until she buys another pair," he said. Women, he said, tend to buy more shoes than their male counterparts. They also tend to hang on to them longer.
"A woman will have far more shoes in her closet than she can ever wear at one time," he said. Men, he said, usually hoard ties; women keep shoes. They accumulate, he said. "A comfortable, attractive shoe is just too good to ever throw away."
Niser certainly holds on to her shoes. She buys more each season but keeps the old ones, saying they will come back in style in the next few years.
Spring, she agrees, is a time for shoes. And she'll bring out the spring collection soon.
Shoes complement people's life styles, as well as providing a little extra pizzazz for special events, Jubelirer said. "Shoes reflect a person's personality and lifestyle. If people go to church every Sunday, and they're dressing up often, they will buy shoes that coordinate with more than one outfit.
Fancy dress occasions are a another story, Jubelirer said. When prom time comes around, elegant, beautiful styles start to fill his store's shelves. Women know they may wear the pair of shoes they buy for a special occasion only once, but that one time they wear them will be well worth the satisfaction of the perfect dress and perfect shoes.
Reason for addiction: What draws women to shoes? Is it the style? The color? Or maybe just the fact that they hide feet?
Niser isn't sure why she loves shoes -- she just knows that she does.
Jubelirer said the images that surround shoes attribute to their attraction.
"Shoes, especially high heels, are just this side of sexy," he said. "There is a connection between high heels and shapely legs. The higher the heel, the sexier the shoe."
Heel height isn't a pair of shoes' only selling factor. Jubelirer said that women also make their buying decisions based on the quality of the leather and workmanship of the shoe, the shoe's style and color.
"As the seasons change, so do the fashions," he said. "I think that women are more attuned to that than are men."
With different colors, fabrics and styles, shoes have a lot to offer. In spite of all the many offerings, Niser is on a quest for the perfect shoe. According to her, this idealized shoe is made of leather, coordinates with many outfits, is comfortable and catches the eye -- and has at least a three-inch heel.
"I still haven't found the perfect shoe," she said. "Every time I go shopping, I know that I do not need another pair. But I want another."