The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

In a city that is not short on shoe shops,
finding a shop that caters to all of your needs is no walk in the park. Luckily
for shoe shoppers in Cairo, Source has several branches across the city,
offering a diverse collection of affordable footwear and handbags that suit all tastes and
are capable of lasting a lifetime. Ok, probably not that long; but Source’s
products were meant for rough handling.

Located next door to Kholkhal and Club Aldo
in Heliopolis, Source stocks items that meet your everyday needs. You might not
find the latest trends or extremely hip items on display; but Source provides
the most basic items.

The shop’s racks are packed with ballet
flats, sandals, wedges, high-heeled pumps and summertime flip-flops. Most of
the displayed items are available in black, white, grey, and the different
shades of brown.

This reviewer was smitten with a pair of
tawny gladiator sandals (120LE), but, much to our dismay, we ended up finding
them in almost every other shoe shop that we came by on that day. As for ballet
flats, you won’t find anything beyond the basic bow-tie ballerinas; you might
come across ankle-wrap flats in one of the shop’s branches, but they most
likely would be leftovers from previous seasons.  

Unlike other shoe shops, the sales
attendants don’t hover around, bombarding you with inquiries about your needs.
You can take all the time that you need to make up your mind about your favourite
selections and then ask for your size. Nevertheless, it’s not a good idea to
take too much time; Source’s tiny space doesn’t make for a very comfortable
shopping experience, especially during weekends when the shopping epidemic has been
unleashed.

You’d expect a shoe shop that mostly
stocks faux-leather products to have a collection of belts. Disappointingly, Source
doesn’t stock any belts; this could be due to the fact that the limited space
couldn’t handle any more products.

As for Source’s handbag collection, simple
doesn’t quite do it for them. Most of the items on display are embellished with
too much metal or chunky pieces of plastic jewel. Nonetheless, if you have a
discernible eye, you might find one or two items that are simple yet elegant. Prices
start at 90LE and reach around 150LE.

If you are looking for a basic pair of shoes or a handbag, Source is the place to go, just don’t have high
expectations; you are not going to find any standout items.