STEPPING OUT

Jennie Webb believes you can never have too many pairs of shoes. She owns around 100, and is still adding to the collection.

"I probably buy a new pair of shoes once every week or two," Webb said. "I just try to find shoes that match whatever clothes I have. I look to see if they're comfortable, and if they are cute.

"Everyone teases me about it, but you can never have too many pairs of shoes," she said.

Webb owns eight pairs of black shoes. "But none are the same," she explained.

"I have no plans to cut back, not in the near future at least," she said.

Her husband David is manager at Payless Shoesource, 350 N. Kingshighway. While he complains they may have to build a new closet to house her footwear, he admits she is not alone.

He said: "We've got women coming in here every week, sometimes twice a week. We get two shipments a week, and they pretty much know when new shoes arrive. There are a lot of women out there who love their shoes."

Webb said shoes are important to any outfit, for men as well as women. "I think people always look at your shoes. When you meet someone, the first thing you notice is their appearance, their presence." Their shoes? Yes, Webb said.

What shoe shoppers buy depends -- on the customer, the season and the sale.

Webb said, "This time of year we have a lot of dress shoes for Easter. After that we will sell a lot of canvas and sandals for summer."

He added that clogs and platform shoes are expected to be popular this spring. "They're back," Webb said.

Linda White, manager of Crown Shoes in the Town Plaza Shopping Center, said, "I have some customers who come in and buy shoes once a year and others who come in once a week. It depends on the person -- the individual.

"Some people will go with the basic colors to match up with most of their wardrobe," White said. "But it's nice if you can have a different color for every outfit."

White admits to having a personal penchant for shoes. "Casual and dress shoes, usually I just like them all." She said comfort is not her personal top priority. Style heads her list.

Phil Deason, store manager of Naturalizer Shoes, 169 West Park Mall, said, "We have a good fashion line, but comfort is our main thing. We try to give a little of both fashion and comfort. We start with a good fit."

No matter how many shoes a person actually owns, Deason said most have one or two pairs of shoes they wear nearly every day and then an assortment of shoes to wear for special occasions.

"We find that when people find a good pair, a comfortable pair they like, they will buy several different pairs in different colors," Deason said.

With outfits in hand, shoppers come in to match up a new pair of shoes, Deason said.

"This spring we are seeing a lot of woven shoes, even in dress shoes, and brown is coming back. That's something people have not seen for a while in a dress shoe," Deason said. "We have a lot with prints, like snake prints."

Comfort is making a strong play in shoes, Deason said. "You are seeing more of the lower heels, nice dressy shoes in a low heel. It's even hard to find high heels."