photo by Eyes All Over Optical Shop
By Marissa Blahnik | Rewire
“Life is too short to wear ugly glasses,” said Teri Focht, owner of Eyes All Over, an optical and eye-care clinic in the West Seventh neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota.
She laughed as she said it, sharing that it’s a personal motto repeated within the walls of her store.
“Glasses are an accessory,” she said. “Cartier and Gucci and all of those designers make glasses. If you’re going to wear glasses, make them good. Say something with them.”
Another personal creed: That people of all incomes should have access to fabulous eyewear.
The optical industry has shifted a lot over the years. Glasses were once a more utilitarian accessory, something necessary but not beloved. Today glasses are available in a rainbow of colors and every shape imaginable.
Our glasses say something about us—so much so that sometimes we may have an assortment of glasses to swap out depending on mood or style. My colleague guesses she owns at least 10 pairs of glasses, but then quickly admits the count is likely closer to 12 or 13. Rather than seeming excessive, her optical collection is on point.
“Right now, we’re seeing a lot of plastic, a lot of vintage styles,” Focht said. “Bold colors and thin temples (the side parts). We sell, for women, a lot of red and purple. For men, we sell a lot of vintage frames.”
A personal touch
In a world full of online competitors where you can buy your glasses without leaving your couch, it might seem as if brick and mortar stores like Eyes All Over are in trouble. But there are services Focht can offer that you can’t match with a digital transaction.
“Our industry is changing so much with online glasses. We have so many people come in—‘can you fix my glasses, I bought them online?’” Focht said.
“I shop on Amazon, everybody does it. What’s different is that we acknowledge that and … regardless if people shopped with us or got an exam with us, we’re here to help. … The fact that we’re willing to repair eye glasses now is unheard of.”
For Focht, the relationship with the customer is the thing.
Focht explained that her job as an optician is sort of equivalent to an eye nurse/pharmacist/fashion consultant. She helps customers find frames that work for their style and their prescription, fills the prescription—Eyes All Over makes some prescription lenses on site—and then fits the final frame and lens combination on the customer, troubleshooting any issues.
A good optician will be honest, but not agreeable, and can shorten your shopping time with their knowledge of your prescription and their frame inventory, she said.
“With online, you’re buying something sight unseen. Frames have different sizes. Even if you find yourself getting the same size every time, it’s not going to fit the same.”
There is an exactness to the business of filling prescriptions. Finding a good optician is just as important as finding an eye doctor you trust. With astigmatisms, for example, if the axis of the lens—the way the lens has to be cut to correct for the astigmatism—is off by even one or two degrees, it no longer meets legal standards. It’s the completely wrong prescription.
“Think about getting the complete wrong medication prescription but now it’s for your eyes,” Focht said. “Now you have to go out into the world and drive and do whatever it is you do out in the world.”
A growing business
A commitment to the customer extends through so much of Focht’s work with Eyes All Over. And her mission is clearly recognized and supported by her community.
When Eyes All Over opened in 2013, Focht was 28 and used her last $5,000 to outfit her store with just 50 frames. But the neighborhood was very receptive to her setting up shop.
“When you’re spending a lot of money on a medical device or a fashion item, it takes a lot of trust to go into a place that maybe doesn’t look like it’s at some point going to be successful. But they did.”
In a year and a half, Eyes All Over outgrew its space.
Today, Focht’s store carries upwards of 1,000 frames, with prices ranging from $99 to $400 for a lens and frame package. She takes pride that 200 of those frames are available for customers on medical assistance, where other stores will often only offer a handful of choices.
“We saw a need and we filled it. … And now we’re able to help a lot more people.”
Leading with heart
The community is returning the love.
Eyes All Over was recently one of eight businesses recognized by the St. Paul City Council in the 2018 St. Paul Business Awards. Teri Focht received the Alice O’Brien Award, honoring a woman-owned business that is committed to equity and empowerment. This recognition was based on nominations from the community.
“As a woman business owner and coming from a line of women business owners, it is very important to me personally to be encouraging and empowering to all women,” Focht said.
“It didn’t even occur to me that that was the same thing being reflected by Eyes All Over. Receiving the award for that just really leaves me excited and joyful to know that when people look at us they see that in us.”
This article is part of “Living for the City,” a Rewire initiative made possible by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Rewire.
© Twin Cities Public Television - 2018. All rights reserved.
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