Frames, Frames, Frames

**ixmnr** · 12-31-2001, 06:53 PM

Hi All,

I'm looking into starting "cold" in the near future, but due to past work experiences (retail, OMD employee & VA hospital) I have had little exposure to the optical end of the business.

With a start up budget in mind, what is the minimum # of frames to have on display and what % of space should be devoted to the optical? The space I'm looking to lease is 1400 sq ft.

How many frame companies should you deal with?

Who are your 3-5 "best" quality frame companies for each of the following categories? Budget, mid-range and high-end eye wear?

Thanks,
John Keriotis, O.D.

**chip anderson** · 12-31-2001, 10:56 PM

Go ethical, don't dispense. Make a living with examination and treatment only. You'll stay busy with referrals from opticians who love you and your patients will think you are an honest man.

Chip

Jo · 01-01-2002, 07:33 AM

Doctor,

We are an OD's office also and we currently deal with 5 frames companies. We got there by a little bit of trial and error and this is where we seem to have found a comfortable level. Remember that most of the big frame companies have seperate divisions for each product line so that is enough to handle.

Our core lines are Safilo, Marchon, Silhouette and Luxottica. Our upper end lines are Silhouette Minimal Art (the three piece titans), Safilo's Ralph Lauren, Marchon's Calvin Klein and Fendi, and Luxottica's Armani. We just dropped Modo. For our lower price tier we use LBI's Bel Ami, Titanium and St. Moritz. Our sun collection consists of Marchon's CK's, Calvin Klein and Nautica as well as Luxottica's RayBans, Silhouette's Adidas and we also carry Bolle. We use Smith, Uvex and Bolle for our ski and motorcross goggles and Barracuda, Hilco and Rec Specs for our swim and sport goggles.

A good chunck of our store space is devoted to the optical, probably half of the total space. One quarter each is devoted to the lab and exam and waiting areas. The shop started out as a joint partnership between an LO and an OD. The LO moved out of state to join his family in North Carolina and the OD bought out his end of the business.

The doc's doing good but after buying out the LO he did have a tough ride figuring out everything you have in mind. That and he hired an LO with an eye for product and he lets her do the frame buying. Any big dollar deals he approves and he makes sure dead lines get gone but it would be a ton of work if he tried to do the buying on top of his already full schedule.

If your starting cold, look into co-op advertising. Many of the big frame companies will work with you and provide graphics if you advertise their lines and carry a good number of their frames. When you have the reps in find out about their programs.

**PAkev** · 01-01-2002, 08:43 AM

How many frames? Not sure if the space you indicated is the entire area or what you anticipate using for an optical but a starting point of 1 frame/sq. ft was a rule of thumb used when opening our shop almost 2yrs ago. This certainly will be contingent on the image you wish to convey.

How many vendors? Minnimize vendors to maximize volume discounts. However, there will be a point where purchasing 1 more or 100 more frames will become indifferent to volume discounts. Therefore you might as well offer an alternative product from a different frame company. Just make sure when the reps sell you their best movers they don't look alike between frame companies. Once you publicly hang out a shingle, you won't have any trouble finding frame reps. In that case it will probably be too late to introduce new frame lines until you weed out which lines are dogs and replace them with the new frame line.

My advice to you would be to pick your target market as budget, mid, or highend and structure your practice with that market in mind. It is very difficult to be all things to all people. In a low or mid end marketplace you will find folks walking in and are attracted to your most expensive frame , figure they can't afford to purchase eyewear from you and walk out. On the other hand, you will never sell high end eyewear if you don't have several choices in stock. While many low to mid end consumers are just looking for a "good deal" they may not be your most loyal patients and there is a good probability they won't return if they see a coupon for a better deal next time. However, a satisfied highend consumer is a loyal customer who will help build the integrity of your business. With a plethoria of vision benefit programs it is very difficult for an optical retailer to be as broad based as they have been able to be years ago.

Finally, Not one of your questions but I'll throw it in for free.

Assuming you may be examining eyes while folks are walking through your doors, I am also assuming you would be hiring someone. This may be the most important thing in establishing your new business; so don't cut youself short. Hire a professional, Treat them like a professional, and pay them like a professional. This may be hard to swallow in the short term when cash flow is tight but in the long run you will have a following of patients who respect you as a professional and have greater confidence in meeting their eyecare needs.

Keep us posted,
Kevin

**harry a saake** · 01-01-2002, 09:27 AM

Doc, the approach i used when i had my own stores was to have and find products that the others did not have. If all the opticians are selling as an example a silouhette 4444 frame, then it seems like the only issue becomes price, as its the same frame by the same company in every store. Sure, we all, scream service, but the customer does not usually see that up front, where they can relate it to cost.
......I learned this theory of doing business from a little jewish jeweler who had a shop across the street from me, which basically is "mine is better"
......As a doctor i would assume you have to attend CE courses every year. At all of the major shows there are numerous exhibits of frames and products. This is a great way to find those items that nobody else sells. Its not unusual to find some great frame lines that you never heard of only because the company does not have a rep in your area. You can also find products in the trade magazines and then make an appointment to have them come in and show you the line.
......As one of the replies said hire a good licensed or highly experinced optician as he or she will make you money, where as the 6.00 an hour tech might not care.
......Another field you can get into in the dispensary is low vision aids. Almost none of them do it as they dont know how and are probably scared to make the investment. You can get referrals from other od,s opthamologists who are often looking for someone who will do this.
......As someone else posted, dont try to be all things to all people, as if you have high and low end frames you will wind up explaining all day what the difference is. Lastly dont worry about those few you will lose, everyone does, worry when you start losing them all. If you want feel free to give me a call about these matters at 704-664-4616, have a happy new year:cheers:

**Johns** · 01-01-2002, 12:16 PM

Visit the competition as a customer, then go back to the drawing board and be everything they're not. Don't forget to look at the things that they do very well, and do those also.

Don't get caught up in "rules of thumb", stats, and formulas. Carry what you need, place it in a stylish atmosphere, and price it at what you need to make a living. I have been in stores that carry thousands of frames, that don't make the net profit of stores that has 95 frames. Hire an optician to get the most value out of your dispensary, and concentrate on what you do best.

Jo · 01-02-2002, 06:48 AM

Doctor,

Here are some links that may help you in setting up your retail space. They are ABO approved courses but the one on lighting is particularly useful to anyone setting up a display area.