The little heel I can wear all day without a single wince.

On the leather Mary Jane with a steady block heel, a strap that keeps it on, and room for your toes — a proper shoe you can wear all day. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and for a long time now a heel has meant a choice: look nice, or be able to walk. The pretty ones left me teetering, gripping with my toes and counting the minutes until I could sit down. So the pretty ones stayed in the closet, and I wore the same flat, sensible shoes to everything.

What I wanted was a little lift — something that made an outfit look finished — that I could also wear from morning to night without my feet staging a revolt. Everyone told me such a shoe did not exist at a price I would pay.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant crossed the room in the most elegant little heels, comfortably, all evening. I finally asked. She laughed and told me to read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The shoe is called the Josephine, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1A block heel you can actually walk in

We set it on a steady block heel, about two inches — enough to lift and lengthen you, with a wide, flat base you can stand and walk on all day. Height without the wobble of a spindly heel.

2A strap that keeps them on your foot

We added a buckled strap across the instep — a proper Mary Jane — so the shoe stays put on your foot instead of slipping at the heel or making you grip with your toes. On, secure, and it stays that way.

3Soft, real leather that gives

We made them in real, soft leather that gives a little and softens to the shape of your foot over the first few wears, and breathes so your feet stay comfortable. Not the stiff plastic that rubs and never gives.

4A rounded toe with room to move

We rounded the toe and gave it room, so your toes are not crushed to a point the way so many heels insist on. Comfortable across the front of the foot, even by the end of a long day.

5Four classic colors

We make them in four classic colors — this black, plus a deep wine, a soft tan and a navy — the kind that go with everything already in your closet. A woman is bound to stop and ask you where you found them.

6True to size, comfortable from day one

We make the Josephine in US sizes 5.5 to 12, true to size, so they are comfortable from the very first wear. A shoe meant to fit your foot — not to punish it for the sake of a heel.

The Josephine, against the heels you've given up on

Why they're clearing them now

They priced the Josephine at $149.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every pair is going out at less than half of that.

I ordered mine that evening. They arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for them more than any other shoe in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But I had given up on heels entirely, sure that comfort and a little elegance could not live in the same shoe — and this pair proved me wrong. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before they clear.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Sandra was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.