The summer sandal that finally makes room for wide feet.

On the open cross-strap sandal with nothing hard to press into the sides of your foot — a soft strap, a cushioned footbed, and the width you have been missing all summer.

I have wide feet. If you do too, you already know the small, quiet humiliation of summer sandal shopping — everything pretty squeezes your feet over the edges, leaves angry red lines by lunch, or simply does not come in your width at all.

I am 63, and years ago I gave up. I wore the same tired, stretched-out pair every single summer, because they were the only ones that did not hurt. I had decided that pretty and wide-friendly were not both on the menu for a woman with my feet.

Then a woman in my Tuesday walking group here in Mount Pleasant kept up with all of us, all morning, in a pair of sandals that were, frankly, prettier than anything I owned — and never once stopped to rub a sore spot. 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 sandals are called the Grace, 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.

1Open sides that make room for wider feet

We built the Grace with open sides and a single soft cross-strap — so there is nothing hard along the edges to press into the widest part of your foot. Your foot simply sits where it wants to sit, with room to spread. No squeezing over the edges, no overhang, no angry red lines by lunch.

2A soft strap that gives, never digs in

The single cross-strap is soft, and it gently gives with your foot instead of cutting into it — so even when your feet swell in the afternoon heat, there is no biting, no grooves, no pressure across the top of your foot.

3A cushioned footbed like a pillow

Underneath, a soft, gently contoured footbed cradles the whole foot, so every step lands on cushion instead of hard pavement — comfortable across the full width of your foot, not just the middle.

4All day on your feet, no ache by evening

Between the open fit and the cushioning, the Grace carries you instead of pinching you. Market to garden to dinner — without that end-of-day throb across the top of your feet.

5No blisters, no breaking in

The soft strap has no hard edges to bite, and the open sides mean nothing rubs. You can wear the Grace straight out of the box on a long, hot day and come home without a single blister or sore spot.

6A light, flexible sole — in six easy colors

The sole is light and bends naturally with your foot, so walking feels easy again. And the Grace comes in six soft, easy shades, in sizes 4 through 11. Most women who buy one come back for a second before the season is out.

The Grace, against the sandals you've been buying

	Typical summer sandal	The Grace
Width	Squeezes wider feet	Open sides, room to spread
Straps	Dig in, especially with swelling	Soft strap that gives
Footbed	Thin and hard	Soft and cushioned
Blisters	Rubs, needs breaking in	Nothing bites, no break-in
Sole	Heavy or stiff	Light and flexible

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Grace 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 the brown. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper box with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for them more than any other pair in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But wide feet had kept me out of every nice sandal for years, and the Grace was the first pair that simply made room for the feet I actually have. If wide feet have burned you too, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Grace — $64.95 →

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