Clarke's Express Shoe Repair is a shoe repair business serving Baltimore, Dundalk, and Harford County. Founded in 1991 by James O'Farrell Clarke II, the family-owned business offers service shoe and leather repair services with over 35 years of experience. Clarke's Express Shoe Repair provides a wide range of services including sole and heel replacement, orthopedic shoe modifications, complete shoe refurbishing, shoe and boot stretching, handbag repair, key duplication, zipper repair and replacement, and baseball glove repair.
I’ve been wearing the same style work shoe since 1977. My current pair is approximately six years old. However, in the past year, the company I used to buy them from has gone out of business. Leather uppers are in good shape, but the soles and heels are worn out. I took them to Clark’s Shoe Repair in Bel Air. He did an excellent job of renewing soles and heels, plus polished the leather uppers. The shoes look brand new and feel great! In fact, they are better than new shoes because I don’t have to break in the fit. I’m thinking of dragging out my old pair I use for cutting grass and taking them to Clark’s too!
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Kate Inman
Aug 25, 2025
★★★★★5.0
Took my boots to Clarke needing 2 repairs and I gave him only 1 day to do it. I needed them for a festival I was going to and did not plan ahead very well. He knew he could fix the laces that were uneven by taking off the last notches on one side, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to repair the buckle with such short notice, since he didn’t know if he’d be able to find an adequate buckle in 24 hours. Not only did he do it, but I actually forgot to pick them up and got too busy and he called me at 6:00, am hour after he had already closed and stayed late for me to pick them up. He did it for such a reasonable price as well. I wish I could’ve...Took my boots to Clarke needing 2 repairs and I gave him only 1 day to do it. I needed them for a festival I was going to and did not plan ahead very well. He knew he could fix the laces that were uneven by taking off the last notches on one side, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to repair the buckle with such short notice, since he didn’t know if he’d be able to find an adequate buckle in 24 hours. Not only did he do it, but I actually forgot to pick them up and got too busy and he called me at 6:00, am hour after he had already closed and stayed late for me to pick them up. He did it for such a reasonable price as well. I wish I could’ve given him more money, I gave him everything I had and he was so appreciative. He completely made my whole day and week, without him I would’ve had no shoes for my festival! I am so grateful to him, these were no easy fixes and he said it normally would’ve taken a lot longer than just 1 day. Clarke is awesome! I can’t thank him enough.
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Paul Wadlinger
Feb 19, 2022
★★★★★5.0
I am VERY pleased with the amazing quality of work done on the repair of my 13+ year old Belleville boots. The heals were replaced & he even cleaned & shined them to almost new… well almost, they are pretty old, but I am amazed! He gave my boots a second life!
Thank you J. O’Farrell Clarke II !!!
Highly recommend!
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Maggie Obriwin
May 6, 2025
★★★★★5.0
Update May 2025: Still getting work done here and they still do a great job. Put two pairs of rubber soles on my boots and they look so good you'd think they came that way.
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I went to Clarke's after a terrible experience at Bel Air Shoe Repair. Save yourself the anguish and go 1 minute further down the road to this place.
I asked Clarke's to give me an honest appraisal of whether or not the shoes that Bel Air Shoe Repair ruined could be saved. To his immense credit, the owner was honest with me about what was possible and what wasn't with the damage that was done, instead of nickel and diming me into perpetuity.
While those shoes weren't...Update May 2025: Still getting work done here and they still do a great job. Put two pairs of rubber soles on my boots and they look so good you'd think they came that way.
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I went to Clarke's after a terrible experience at Bel Air Shoe Repair. Save yourself the anguish and go 1 minute further down the road to this place.
I asked Clarke's to give me an honest appraisal of whether or not the shoes that Bel Air Shoe Repair ruined could be saved. To his immense credit, the owner was honest with me about what was possible and what wasn't with the damage that was done, instead of nickel and diming me into perpetuity.
While those shoes weren't able to be brought back to the way they were before, Clarke's did a great job stretching a pair of boots, repairing a zipper pull, and restitching a strap on a bag.
In addition to doing a quality job, I wasn't kept waiting an unreasonable amount of time, my phone calls and messages were answered in a timely and professional way, my items weren't "temporarily lost", and the shop observed plenty of protocols to keep everything sanitary. These same things cannot be said about their competitor, no matter how many fake 5-star reviews they may have.
Parking is easy, getting in contact with them is simple and effective, the prices are fair, and the work is top-notch.
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