Yes, We Built It!

Originally called Brookhaven Sporting Goods, EFootwear has been a Delaware County fixture since 1982. With a lot of savings along with a lot of dreams, John Elison, Sr. opened a little "hole in the wall" sneaker store on Dutton Mill Road. Working full time for Conrail, John worked nights and weekends selling sneakers at discounted prices. Having four active children who were heavily involved in sports, John saw a need for reasonably-priced athletic footwear.

In the beginning, it was tough for John and his wife Theresa, who helped out when she could and still does the bookkeeping to this day. The little "sneaker store" as it came to be known by area residents was minimal inside and out. A fresh coat of paint, a patchwork of remnant carpeting on the floor and wooden shelves built by John himself was all there was to the store, but it worked! His philosophy was simple… buy the building cheap, fix it up to be functional, not fancy and sell good shoes cheap. With his savings, he bought the building, fixed it up himself and worked it by himself. There were no loans taken out and certainly no government help to get him started. His philosophy along with his determination and hard work paid off.

Working together, John and Theresa were able to put four children through Catholic School and help send their three sons to private colleges where they all earned degrees. As their sons grew, they became Brookhaven Sporting Goods' first employees, working part time. Eventually, all three sons went into the business and helped it evolve and grow. Changing the name from Brookhaven Sporting Goods to EFootwear around 1996 and purchasing the old Brookhaven Fire House in 2008, the business has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, EFootwear runs a successful Team Sales Division with sales high enough to make them one of Nike and UnderArmour's biggest Team Dealers on the East Coast.

They also have a very successful internet site which continues to grow in popularity. Fitness Magazine named EFootwear.com one of the best internet sites for great shoes at a great price. The new building also houses a small outlet center. Last, but not least is that little "hole in the wall" store on Dutton Mill Rd. which continues to sell sneakers as well as work boots and athletic flip flops and sandals. The inside is a little nicer these days, but the philosophy is still the same because it still works!