There is a time in the life of many of us when we realize that we can’t read street signs, can’t see the menu, can’t find our golf ball, and (for the very unfortunate) can’t see what the teacher has on the board. These are not events that we look forward to in life. They cause us to arrive at a chilling conclusion: I need glasses. This is an image changing grudge purchase at best. The only benefit being that you just can’t hit a guy with glasses.
God bless the 80s though. Fashion houses, jewelry makers, and dedicated eyewear manufacturers were making frames that could easily have been described as desirable. This leads to the inception of the luxury eyewear boutique. Frames from the likes of Cartier, Chrome Hearts, Matsuda, and many others could be found in one place. The focus of these establishments was to take a grudge purchase and turn it into an object of desire. Success was now based on utterances like, “I love my glasses.” Not only did eyeglass wearers benefit from better options being available, but those cutting edge styles effected all corners of the industry and changed the look at all price points.
Then the worst happened. It was undeniable that premium eyewear was a growing and profitable part of an already strong industry. It was inevitable that large optical companies, which had been churning out derivatives of hot frames, were going to try to fix something that wasn’t broken. Acquisition was the name of the game as most independent chains were swallowed up by multinational conglomerates. The consequence was the best eyewear was replaced by the most profitable eyewear. As strong businesses were mismanaged to the point of insolvency, a cult of boutique employees left on principal or were pushed out of the industry.
Scottsdale Eyewear was born of necessity (we needed jobs for monetary reasons). When my business partner was notified that his store would be permanently closed in 2 weeks, we were pushed off the dime. He told me that he wanted to open his own shop and I asked if he needed a business partner. That was 3 years ago. On April 15th of 2019 (we had no idea that was tax day) we opened the doors at Seville on Scottsdale Rd and Indian Bend. We haven’t had a bad day since. We are privileged to have some of the best brands in optical, but more privileged to have the best customers in retail. We have worked hard to make sure that we have options for small faces, large faces, and a range of budgets. People can walk in with a prescription and walk out seeing better. After 2 years in business we are enjoying every day of helping people see better and feel good about wearing glasses. If you need glasses, like we do, something you’ll love might be waiting for you here.
Photography by: Scottsdale Eyewear
