Owner Loren Martin has seen potential customers open the door to Greencastle’s ELM Shoes, shake their heads and walk away when the store is crowded with shoppers.
An expansion into the nearby building at 6 E. Baltimore St. will be home to a new store, ELM Active, while freeing up space at the decades-old ELM Shoes at 3 Center Square.
The vision for ELM Active – featuring footwear, apparel and accessories – comes from Loren’s son, Gavin, the fifth generation involved in the family business who draws on his own health and wellness journey.
The new store will open this spring and a grand opening celebration is planned from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, May 1. Cumberland Valley Business Alliance will host a ribbon-cutting at 10:15 a.m.
Opening events May 1 to 10 will include different vendors and product demonstrations, including “try-before you buy,” when customers will be able to put on shoes and go for a run to see if they like them.
How did ELM Shoes grow into ELM Active?
ELM Shoes started branching out into athletic shoes in 2018 and by 2022, fitness footwear was one-third of its business.
“We realized we’d maxed out our space and even looked into moving,” Loren said. “I love Greencastle and when this opportunity came up – an opportunity to invest in the town – I jumped on it.”
With Internet shopping and big box stores often the norm, ELM Shoes owes its success as much to its people as its high-quality products, according to the father-son team.
When he hires, it is about “who you are as a person,” said Loren, who was named the National Shoe Retailers Association 2024 Retailer of the Year.
He can teach associates about shoes, but at heart they have to be “people who love engaging with other people. You can see people light up when you talk to them.
“Right now, I have one of the best teams I’ve ever had,” he continued. “They are passionate about getting people in a pair of shoes that make their feet feel great.”
“We take the extra steps and pay attention to detail,” Gavin said. “We care whether people leave happy.”
What will fitness fans find at ELM Active?
Gavin explained the in-person touch applies to customers as well.
“We’re tactile people, we like to touch and feel things,” Gavin said. “People realize they want to try things on, not order 10 pairs online and send back nine … or 10.
“ELM Active isn’t just about running – it’s about movement in all forms,” he continued. “Whether you're a dedicated runner, a weekend hiker, a fitness enthusiast or a pickleball player, ELM Active is committed to providing the perfect footwear to support your journey.
“This new space will bring together performance, comfort and innovation – helping you move better, farther and stronger,” he said.
Merchandise will include not only footwear, but the apparel brands Rabbit and, specifically for women, Oiselle. The Martins also are working with a company to develop their own branded label of activewear.
Clothing for sale will include T-shirts, shorts and running bras, while there also will be accessories, such as water bottles, hydration packs and reflective gear, and nutritional products.
It will be “a vibrant hub for fitness enthusiasts, runners, walkers, hikers and more,” said Gavin, who lost 120 pounds on his fitness journey.
There is already a group of runners – averaging 15 to 30 – who meet outside ELM Shoes at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and go for 2- or 4-mile runs. Others are welcome to join them, and the outings sometimes extend into dinner or ice cream.
What are the physical changes for ELM Active?
From the front door of ELM Shoes, you walk past ELM Department Store on Center Square around the corner to East Baltimore Street and ELM Active.
In the back, the two buildings are much closer. An addition is under construction so shoppers can “flow between the two buildings via a walkway,” Loren said.
In addition to the walkway, renovations are underway at 6 E. Baltimore St., which will provide an additional 2,000 square feet. The first floor will have ELM Active sales, as well as storage. The second floor will be used for offices and more storage.
As offices and storage are moved to 6 E. Baltimore St., walls will be removed for more space at ELM Shoes.
ELM has deep roots in the community
“At ELM Shoes, we’ve always been ‘with you every step,’” according to the Martins. “And with ELM Active, we’re taking that commitment to the next level.”
The walkway between ELM Shoes and ELM Active will be decorated to showcase the history of ELM that dates back almost 100 years.
“ELM Shoes initially began as a result of one man's innovative attempt to survive a crisis. After losing a contract to bus school children in 1930, J. Ira Eshleman and his sons-in-law, David Lehman and Norman Martin, turned the buses into ‘stores on wheels,’” the ELM Shoes website said.
In February 1941, they acquired a building on Center Square and opened a retail establishment with groceries, hardware, dry goods, clothing and a tailor.
“In 1957 the dream of having a separate ‘shoe department’ was formed by Norman's oldest son, Lester Martin,” the website says. “With a focus on growth for the future, Lester and his sons Lowell and Loren renovated the building in 1983. The expansion allowed them to carry a complete line of footwear.
“As a result of another expansion and renovation in 1997, ELM Shoes now occupies over 6,000 square feet of floor space and warehouses an impressive 18,000 pair of shoes,” according to the website.
ELM Active is growing into a building with an equally historic story. The red brick building was constructed in 1916 by Charles Carl and housed Carl’s Drug Store until 1999. The name can still be seen on the west-facing facade high above Baltimore Street.
Carl’s Drug Store was started by Adam Carl, Charles Carl’s grandfather in 1825. Greencastle’s oldest business and the oldest drug store in United States, it is now located at 145 N. Antrim Way in 1999.