General Info

Strolling through the heart of downtown Bethesda you are drawn in by the red and white storefront of Bethesda Shoe & Luggage Repair at the corner of Del Ray Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. Stepping in, you instantly sense that many of the customers are long time regulars, and the family atmosphere doesn?t stop there either. It extends behind the counter, where owner John Shafakian and his young apprentice Peter Mesrobian work with an efficiency borne out of the father-son dynamic they have developed over their years of producing high-quality, detailed work together. Master shoe and luggage repairman John Shafakian has been in the business of mending peoples' much-loved shoes, bags and luggage for over four decades, operating out of a store in Vienna, Virginia, until he branched out and opened Bethesda Shoe & Luggage Repair in 1986. Peter Mesrobian brings with him the experience of having long-practiced as a young man alongside his father at the family business in his native Ethiopia. John and Peter are proud to have Bethesda Shoe & Luggage Repair voted among ten of Washington area?s best in ?Step Above: 10 Great Shoe-Repair Shops? by Washingtonian Magazine.