BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Market research estimates footwear is a multi-billion dollar industry, with women's shoes making up more than half of sales. For several women around the Baton Rouge area, there are so many things that make them fall head over heels for shoes.
"I think another reason why I like shoes is because they can come in all different sizes and they can all have different details on them," said Emily Wrotten, a 7-year-old shoe lover.
Detailed they may be, but most shoes in stores are up to three sizes too big for little Emily. That does not keep her from slipping them on her feet and strolling around the store.
"I just love shoes," Wrotten added.
Elizabeth McKnight recalls how her love affair with shoes started at a young age.
"You want the sparkly Cinderella shoes," McKnight said. "Then, you want the little Dorothy slippers. So, I think it starts when you're very young and then as you get older, you just keep that little trend going."
These days, McKnight is not looking for Disney magic when she peruses shoe displays at her favorite stores. In fact, it was not until recently that she realized she and all women are looking for a different type of magic.
"If a pair of shoes makes you look taller and leaner, then every woman's going to love them," said McKnight.
NK Boutique co-owner Michele Percy said she loves to see her customers transform when they find that pair they love.
"Something about a great pair of heels makes a woman feel sexy and confident and beautiful," said Percy.
Percy said shoes that make a woman feel that good are hard to find. She added it is also what makes them easy to collect and hard to toss out, even after someone has had them for years without wearing them.
"I think a lot of shoes for women, it's very personal. That there's a connection with that shoe that you just want to hold on to it and like I said, keep it as a collector's item," said Percy.
McKnight saod her collection is not as large as other shoe connoisseurs. She admitted she does not mind spending quite a pretty penny on new additions.
"I couldn't even tell you. I don't know if I should tell you. Whenever I buy shoes, I like to actually wear them and buy good shoes so that you can wear them over and over and over again," McKnight explained.
With little Emily's good eye for quality shoes, she is bound to have thousands of pairs over her lifetime.
"I like to have variety, a big variety of shoes, so you can pick which ones you want every day to match your outfit," said Wrotten.
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