Posh on Main (Seattle)

City/neighborhood: Bellevue

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday;
12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday

Women with shoe fetishes can stop their whining about the lack of luxury shoes in the area. Angela Self stepped in to fill that niche when she opened her boutique, Posh on Main, in Old Bellevue, one of the Eastside's newest fashion destinations.

The former physical therapist and shoe lover missed the high-end shoes she'd grown to covet in New York and San Francisco and decided women here should have access to beautiful soles (and pumps, and sandals, and boots). One of her favorite designers is Holly Dunlap, who stamps the soles of her overtly sexy Hollywould line with these words of wisdom: "Because it's hard to look sassy when your feet hurt." Other designers include Miss Trish of Capri, Emma Hope and Courtney Crawford's designs.

The shop itself is gorgeous. The decor features delicious shades of chocolate, pink and latte, invoking cravings for strawberry truffles and Neapolitan ice cream. Women can perch on the cocoa-colored ottoman amid sumptuous satin pillows and try on their potential purchases. Shoes are displayed in inset nooks, backlit as if they were fine art. "People love the beauty of the boutique," says Self. The sweet and welcoming 35-year-old proprietress serves chocolates and champagne on Saturdays, just one of those little extras when you splurge on a pair of fancy heels. Prices range from $200 to $700.

--Kathy Schultz