Archive for March, 2010

Sunglasses Magazine Profiles Urban Optiques as Part of Their “Sun Selling: How The Pros Do It“  Series

Last month, Sunglasses Magazine — the leading trade magazine for buyers and sellers of quality sunwear — approached us about doing a interview and profile on Urban Optiques in the magazine’s regular “Sun Selling: How the Pros Do It“  column.

The magazine’s editor, Ana Montoya, discovered Urban Optiques online, and was intrigued by the way we use our website to present and promote our eyewear and sunwear online.

Ana wanted to know if we’d like to be interviewed as an example of a full-scope optometry practice that also put a strong emphasis on sunwear product alongside our vision health care services.

Since the whole vision behind Urban Optiques is to literally change the experience of going to the eye doctor from something sterile and clinical, to something exciting, high-touch and memorable, we were happy to see Sunglasses Magazine describe our website as “stylish” and our practice as out-of-the-ordinary.

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“New” Is Everywhere at Urban Optiques These Days … And We Like It That Way! Find Out How We Are Always Working to Help You See & Be Seen!

We’re fast approaching the six month mark since we took ownership of the downtown Northville optical-shop-formerly-known as Urban Optiks and relaunched it as “Urban Optiques.“

It’s literally been a whirlwind for the past five months and it seems like just yesterday that we celebrated our grand-reopening.   Since then, we’ve made all kinds of improvements and changes (both large and small) to enhance the patient and client experience and we have dozens more on the way.

So I thought I’d take a few minutes today to bring everyone up to speed on what’s been happening around Urban Optiques, and some of the exciting things we have planned for the future.

As I go through this you’ll notice a common theme:  newness.

Nearly everything about the past six months has involved some type of change in the existing business, the experience, the product and how we serve our clients and patients.

What I’m proud of is that I think we’ve been able to preserve all of the best things from previous owners of this practice, while making some exciting changes that open up new possibilities for growth and improved client service and vision care.

New Patients from New Places

First, we just had our best week ever at Urban Optiques in terms of new clients, exams and eyeglass sales. March will likely be our best month since purchasing the business.  Traffic into the store has been increasing week-over-week since November, but this past week felt like a real tipping-point for us.

What is even more exciting is that 75 percent of you are first-time patients.

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• Putting together invites for our "April in Paris" Fred Eyewear Cocktail Party/Trunk show ….http://bit.ly/csW0nF #detroit #
• RT: @elle_com: "Innovation is an evolutionary process, so it's not necessary to be radical all the time." –#MarcJacobs Well said. #
• What's your favorite shape/style of sunglass? What's hot? What's not? Sound off on our Facebook discussion: http://bit.ly/9UmYgh #sunglasses #
• Sunglasses Dominate the Catwalk in Badgley Mischka's Spring/Summer '10 Collection: http://bit.ly/cVSsMd #fashion #eyewear #sunglasses #
• @cyn0212 Thanks for the RT Cynthia! Enjoy the show …. in reply to cyn0212 #
• @picpu Bummer. You can, of course, stop in any time and see the FREDs. We're always adding new models. in reply to picpu #
• @picpu Great photography, btw, Clarence. Now I know why you were interested in Colonel Sander's eyeglasses. Iconic! in reply to picpu #
• @cyn0212 BM's eyewear is fantastic. Which, of course, is why we carry it. Both the optical and sun collections are truly unique. in reply to cyn0212 #
• Loree Rodkin's Inaugural Jewelry on Permanent Display in the Smithsonian. Read the interview with Loree: http://bit.ly/cJ4u68 #fashion #
• @CenterdinDET Urban Optiques Hosting an "April In Paris" Cocktail Party Featuring FRED Luxury Eyewear. RSVP today: http://bit.ly/csW0nF #
• @indiefshionnews Poindexter shades for $11.99??? Love the look, but have to wonder: How long before the screws fall out? in reply to indiefshionnews #
• @cyn0212 Yes. Loree Rodkin, Sama, Prada, Lafont, Miu Miu, Lanvin, Cavalli, Ferragamo, Fendi, Chrome Hearts and FRED-Paris. in reply to cyn0212 #
• @cyn0212 The Badgley's get their own case, however. in reply to cyn0212 #
• Loving this weather. It feels like April already … Will it hold? #
• @AriSGoldberg Retainers Ari? Clearly you haven't seen the Louis Vuitton designer retainer. Would change your whole view of orthodontia. in reply to AriSGoldberg #
• Wishing I was at @VisionExpo … Alas, we have a business to run here. Faces that need eyewear love. People who need to see. #visionexpo #
• Badgley Mischka Spring/Summer '10 Runway: Part II – Featuring Killer Sunglasses from Sama: http://bit.ly/cJ2m0D #fashion #sunglasses #
• @CenterdinDET Welcome! Gotta keep The D fashionable. Nothing makes the Train Depot look better than a pair of rose colored sunglasses. in reply to CenterdinDET #
• @AriSGoldberg Matt says prop out the Stylecasters. Says he'll see you at the "Family Reunion" at the Q Sunday. in reply to AriSGoldberg #
• @AriSGoldberg I'll be sending down one of those LV designer retainers with him. in reply to AriSGoldberg #
• @AriSGoldberg BTW … check out the 24K gold Badgley sunglasses from Sama. Predicting a gold comeback this year: http://bit.ly/cVSsMd in reply to AriSGoldberg #
• @Yelp CONGRATS!!! Now if you'd just start actually publishing businesses' reviews the rest of the world would share in your SXSW elation! in reply to Yelp #
• RT: @fishmark: "Drive By Reviews?" You mean reviews by people that don't have Elite Status? That seems to be all Yelp shows now. #
• @fishmark Is very proud of his "algorithm" that discounts valid reviews by people who don't have all day to spend in Yelp. #
• @fishmark Like the five reviews that Yelp doesn't show about our business. Glad to see you have it all figured out. #
• @yelp I'm sure you will never respond to me on my question around your filtering of legit reviews. Or you'll just say the machine does it. #
• @Yelp Party on Yelp while the businesses that support you get caught in your algorithm/filter. Great business plan. #yelp in reply to Yelp #
• RT @OKE_News PSA: Endangered Runaway: DEVON KROETSCH (MI) http://bit.ly/da16Yr #fb #
• @fishmark Apologies. You got caught in an RT storm by accident. Were once Yelp fans. Sorry for the noise. Relaxing now. in reply to fishmark #
• @Yelp Not sure what a "Q" means? Just frustrated that people take time to review us, and the reviews never stick. It's a broader problem. in reply to Yelp #
• Doing some remodeling at UO this weekend. At the end of it, we'll have a new private eyewear fitting area! Can't wait. #
• The remodel will also expand the front optical retail area … which means we can bring in another new collection with the additional space #
• Urban Optiques Video featured on Lafont-Paris' Official Blog! http://bit.ly/d7ELJn #eyewear #lafont #sunglasses #paris #fashion #
• Put another client — this time Katherine from West Bloomfield — into a fantastic pair of glasses today: The Chrome Hearts Jablome. #
• Katherine, thanks for choosing Urban Optiques. The team said you were so much fun to have in. Can't wait to put you in your new Chromes! #

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Urban Optiques’ “La La La Lafont” Video Makes the Official Lafont-Paris Eyewear Blog!

We woke up this Saturday to find that our first experiment in trying to bring our eyewear alive for our clients and patients through video got noticed …  4,000 miles away in Paris!

Yesterday, Lafont featured the Urban Optiques video highlighting one of our favorite French eyewear designers on their official blog “Le Blog LAFONT.”

What’s most remarkable to us about this whole story is that Lafont found our video on their own. We never tipped them off.

Lafont recently relaunched their website and included a blog as part of the redesign, which we thought was really forward-thinking.  So it was the highlight of our weekend to find our video included Lafont’s website.

You can check it out here:

http://blog.lafont.com/2010/03/12/lafont-clip-by-urban-optiques/

And here is the video on Optiques TV that started it all:

Hopefully this will intrigue you enough to come in and check out the more than 70 Lafont-Paris eyeglasses we have in stock at Urban Optiques!

View the final segment of the complete Badgley Mischka Spring/Summer ‘10 Collection Preview from Amsterdam Featuring Couture Eyewear from Sama

Part III of the Badgley Mischka runway collection at the 11th Amsterdam International Fashion Week.

Not only does the collection have a fantastic soundtrack from Ra Ra Riot and gorgeous clothing, but it also features some amazing eyewear from Badgley Mischka by Sama.

Music by Ra Ra Riot

Ghost Under Rocks – Ra Ra Riot
Can You Tell – Ra Ra Riot
Can You Tell (Epochs Remix) – Ra Ra Riot

Badgley Mischka Couture Eyewear by Sama Continues to Shine in Part II of the Badgley Mischka Spring/Summer 2010 Amsterdam Runway Show

Here’s part two (of three) from the Badgley Mischka Spring/Summer 2010 Preview at the 11th Amsterdam International Fashion Week.

The final segment of the show will be posted tomorrow.

Badgley Mischka’s Spring/Summer 2010 Runway Show in Amsterdam Sizzles with a Cavalcade of Chic Sunwear

We love it when designers prominently feature their eyewear lines in their seasonal fashion collections.

It’s even better when they put their eyewear on the runways.

Which is exactly what Mark Badgley and James Mischka did during their Spring/Summer 2010 preview at the 11th Amsterdam International Fashion Week.

The spring/summer ready-to-wear collection from Badgley Mischka was stunning enough on its own.

But what really made it sizzle was Badgley Mischka’s decision to place its couture sunwear on every single model on the catwalk:

This made for one of the most conspicuous displays of sunglasses in any major collection this year (and possibly in history), which of course makes us overjoyed, since we carry both the Badgley Mischka Couture Eyewear Collection and the very sunglass models featured in Amsterdam.

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• La La La LAFONT: A Celebration of the French Eyewear Legend from Urban Optiques TV: http://bit.ly/cNIKB6 #lafont #eyewear #fashion #paris #
• Optiques TV Is Now Live! Check it out: http://bit.ly/bd2d2h #eyewear #fashion #opticians #youtube #
• Carl Zeiss Individual lenses are coming to Urban Optiques! http://www.personalizedlens.com/ConsumerProductInfo.aspx #
• The Zeiss lenses are precisely customized for the frame, face and prescription. We use a special terminal to fit them. #
• RT: @momentofscience Eye Color Explained! http://bit.ly/b9WhU1 #science #justwondering /@mhapriso #vision #
• RSVP for our Exclusive "April in Paris" FRED Eyewear Cocktail Party March 27th. See the full FRED collection! http://bit.ly/d7KnZf #

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Experience the Entire FRED-Paris Luxury Eyewear Collection at the Urban Optiques “April In Paris” Cocktail Party

We decided to celebrate the arrival of Spring by throwing a cocktail party at Urban Optiques.

But this isn’t just any cocktail party. While the  martinis, champagne and hors d’œuvres might be tempting enough on their own, the real centerpiece of the event will be the fabulous FRED-Paris Eyewear we’ll be featuring.

One of the world’s most coveted luxury eyewear brands, the FRED eyewear line features finishes in five microns of 22K  gold, platinum and palladium combined with diamonds, rubies, gems and temples inlaid with precious materials like iguana, exotic woods and buffalo horn.

FRED is rivaled only by Cartier for it’s jewelry-grade craftsmanship and quality.

Designed and produced by the legendary Paris jeweler FRED, each piece of  optical jewelry is meticulously-crafted by hand and takes seven days to create.

Many of the designs are inspired by pieces in the FRED jewelry collection, and styles range from sophisticated and elegant to chic and trendy.  Many of our clients will give the gift of FRED eyewear to others (and often themselves) for  special occasions or events where they might normally choose jewelry: anniversaries, birthdays, a promotion, or a daughter’s graduation from college.

Urban Optiques has partnered up with Deborah Signorello of Premiere Vision, the U.S. distributor of the FRED-Paris Luxury Eyewear Collection, to host an exclusive event showcasing the entire FRED collection.

This includes all of the FRED sunglass and eyeglass models (including different finish and material variations) as well as frames from the FRED Prestige Line, which combines diamonds, pearls and gemstones with precious metals and exotic woods.  Eyewear from the Prestige line can even be custom-designed to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.

The Prestige line is truly optical jewelry at its finest and many of the pieces that Deborah will be presenting during the cocktail party are not normally part of our standard FRED collection at Urban Optiques.

This is a rare chance to view and try on some of the finest luxury eyewear produced on the planet.

The “Springtime in Paris” FRED Cocktail Party will be held Saturday, March 27th from 4 pm to 7 pm at Urban Optiques at 105 MainCentre in downtown Northville.

All guests who attend will be registered for a chance to win a pair of FRED PEARLS sunglasses and the first 20 people who RSVP and then attend the party will receive exclusive, complimentary Goodie Bags.

All guests will also receive a one-night-only discount on any purchase of FRED eyeglass frames or sunglasses.

Complimentary cocktails and hors d’œuvreswill also be provided.

The guest list will be limited, so RSVP online early to ensure your reservation.

For more information, please contact us at 248-347-9090 or RSVP online here.