“At Smith’s Opticians, we have the largest selection of eyewear in the Houston Metroplex. In addition to the latest fashions, we offer a wide variety of unique vintage frames. We guarantee you will find the perfect glasses to fit your unique character at an affordable price. Smith’s Opticians is anything but ordinary!”

From carrying some of the most talked about brands in the market: The Dolabany Collection, Mario Galbatti, and Plume Paris Eyewear among others, engaging the customer with great style tips and displaying their eyewear with panache it’s no wonder the store has become a local hangout.

To address the vision of Smith’s Opticians, optical owner Philip Brown has recruited a resourceful team who contribute originality to the store. They have definitely succeeded in doing so. Don’t believe us? Their Facebook fans call the store “historical”, “awesomely groovy” and “fantastic”.

There just seems to be no end to the awesomeness of Smith’s Opticians.

About Philip Brown

Philip Brown, owner and operator of Smith’s Opticians, is originally from Oklahoma where he attended Oklahoma State University and obtained a degree in accounting. He learned the eyewear business from his father, David Brown, and acquired Smith’s Opticians in 1981.

Philip’s vision for Smith’s Opticians is to create one-of-a-kind marketplace for eyewear suited to each person’s individual style and personality. He likes to think of the shop like a theater wardrobe department providing frames to make a statement, as opposed to a fashion boutique dictating trends.

5 quick Q&A with Smith’s Opticians

]]> http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/05/smithsopticians/feed/ 0 http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/04/window-of-opportunity-tips-for-successful-merchandising/ http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/04/window-of-opportunity-tips-for-successful-merchandising/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:18:21 +0000 admin http://bestimageoptical.com/?p=10123 Read More »]]> Window displays hold a special meaning for consumers. Therefore, the reality is that your store windows are truly an area of opportunity not to be ignored.

“You have seven seconds to catch a pedestrian’s attention as they are walking past your store…to cause them to slow up and perhaps walk over to your window to look at it and to make the decision that all shoppers make: ‘Should I go in or not go in?’” says Steve Kaufman, editor of the Cincinnati-based Visual Merchandising and Store Design magazine (VM+SD). “Some retailers use that window as an opportunity to tell that shopper ‘We have our spring line in,’ or ‘We have a big sale,’ or ‘We have some really great merchandise.’”

Here, we present tips from the experts for successfully merchandising your windows to pique the interest of passersby. Whether you are located on a main street, in a strip mall, or in a major shopping center, your windows can pack a punch that directly relates to your bottom line using Dolabany Eyewear, Mario Galbatti, and Plume Paris Eyewear.

Tip #1: Keep it simple. Focus on product or theme.

Tip #2: Keep it clean. Make sure your displays and products aren’t dusty.

Tip #3: Change displays three to six weeks depending on foot traffic.

Tip #4: Bright lights are crucial, both during the day and at night.

Tip #5: Use repetition of shapes and color to attract attention.

Tip #6: Cluster items in groups of three or five. Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.

Tip #7: Vary height and depth of items to carry the eye throughout the display. A pyramid or triangle is a pleasing shape.

Tip #8: Use motion to catch the customer’s eyes.

Tip #9: Coordinate the look of all your window and indoor displays in order to create a clean and organized look.

A Best Image Optical eyewear designer had this to say about designing the frame:

Concept

“Gianna started off as a vintage inspired design one Sunday afternoon at a neighborhood terrace. It’s actually a great place to be inspired, a handful of blueberries to snack on, tall majestic trees, blue jays chirping, blue butterflies dancing in the air and the sound of a calming warm breeze all around you. Though the Gianna frame originally started with vintage aspirations for our Dolabany Collection, it turned out to be a lot more modern than it intended it to be. Once a modern frame front was drawn, its temples were an easy design to come up with given all the nature around me.”

Colors

“When I first drew the Gianna frame it was a clear afternoon. I had just witness a beautiful sunset and it was the moment in the evening that’s between daylight and darkness – twilight. I’ve never really paid attention to this part of the day as normally it was overshadowed by a beautiful sunset. However let me tell you, dusk (twilight) is just as beautiful. There is so much mystery behind the shadows it creates and the sparkling blue colors it showcases after the sun is below the horizon. The combination of blue and black became my favorite color combination that day, so I had to add this combination to the Gianna model aside from the other two colors I had in mind: Brown Streak and Wine Streak.”

Shape

“What started to become another cat-eye shaped frame to add to our collection, it naturally transitioned to become a modern thick retro oval shaped frame. After softening its curves and adding a fun floral design to its temples, Gianna became to be a great frame to add to Dolabany’s Spring/Summer Collection.”

From TV shows like ‘Glee’, ‘Fringe’, and ‘White Collar’ to music artist like Justin Timberlake, the entertainment business has become one of the biggest promoters of ‘Retro Eyewear’. Check out our video from our RETROVISION series for more examples:

More on Retro Eyewear:

Click the link (Kickback with Dolabany Specs) to read more on one of the most respected retro eyewear companies in the industry.

Good merchandising has been proven to boost frame sales as well as the average sale price of the frames sold. Creating a better retail environment to increase sales is the goal of all retailers, including optical retailers. Solid merchandising tactics can help you meet this goal, even in turbulent economic times. When merchandising your products keep this in mind:

1. Create Visual Excitement – one way of doing this is to display enough frames in the dispensary to pique their interest.

2. Display with Panache – many ECP’s are eliminating conventional frame boards for unique, eye-catching displays to show off their frame styles.

3. Don’t overdue the P.O.P. – though P.O.P’s can definitely liven up the look of the displays, if not rightly balanced it can also drown it.

Here at Best Image Optical, we strive to boost your sales and make merchandising a breeze with our targeted and aesthetically appealing P.O.P., displays, and programs (view them by clicking here). Speak to your sales rep to help you choose the right P.O.P. or call us to order at 1.800.688.7661.

]]> http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/04/eyetips-can-merchandising-really-boost-sales/feed/ 0 http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/03/photos-from-vision-expo-east-album-1-of-2/ http://bestimageoptical.com/2012/03/photos-from-vision-expo-east-album-1-of-2/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:22:54 +0000 admin http://bestimageoptical.com/?p=9911 Meet some of the Best Image Optical team in our VEE 2012 Rewind:

Show Special #1: Purchase 18 frames from one or in combination of any our three collections (Dolabany, Mario Galbatti, and Plume Paris) and get 2 free frames plus a 20% discount and an additional 10% discount.

Show Special #2: Purchase 100 frames from one or in combination of any of our three collections, (Dolabany, Mario Galbatti, and Plume Paris) and receive a free 16GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi. A standard discount of 20% applies.

See Video:

New Releases [Click on glasses to enlarge photo]:

Brice –            Colors: M. Black/Rust, M. Brown/Grey, and M. Steel Blue/Khaki

Size: 52-19-140

Material: Spring Hinges and Stainless Steel

Market: Unisex

Clash –            Colors: M. Black, Tiger Olive, Olive Streak, Amber Beige

Size: 53-16-147

Material: Italian Zyl

Market: Retro/Unisex

Gianna –         Colors: Black, Wine Streak, Brown Streak

Size: 51-19-138

Material: Italian Zyl/Metal

Market: Women

Lattice –         Colors: Beige, Brown, and Mauve

Size: 53-15-142

Material: Italian Zyl/Spring Hinges

Market: Women

Pauline –        Colors: Wine Swirl, Olive Swirl, and Purple Swirl

Size: 49-20-140

Material: Italian Zyl

Market: Retro/Women

Rebecca –        Colors: Purple Demi, Brown Demi, and Burgundy Demi

Size: 49-19-140

Material: Italian Zyl

Market: Retro/Women

Sherman –      Colors: M. Black, M. Silver, and M. Brown

Size: 55-17-140

Material: Metal

Market: Men

Sintra –           Colors: Tiger Olive, Wine Streak, Black Crystal, and Brown Streak

Size: 47-19-140

Material: Italian Zyl

Market: Retro/Women

Udele –           Colors: M. Wine/Brown, M. Black/White, and M. Brown/Saffron

Size: 51-17-138

Material: Stainless Steel

Market: Unisex

Wallace –        Colors: M. Black/Blue, M. Brown/Green, M. Wine/Brown

Size: 54-16-135

Material: Spring Hinges, Metal

Market: Men

Whitley –        Colors: M. Black/Blue, M. Brown/Green, M. Wine/Brown

Size: 50-18-138

Material: Stainless Steel

Market: Unisex

Yanna –           Colors: M. Black/Blue, D. Brown/Olive, M. Brown/Purple

Size: 49-17-138

Material: Stainless Steel

Market: Unisex

Latest updates:

Best Image Optical will be updating Vision Expo East 2012 show related news and events at: http://bestimageoptical.com/vee12/