Questions with opening an Optical Shop without a doctor.

[optical24/7]

I ain't from Texas but I did drive through there once so do not take my advise seriously. It is intended your amusement and entertainment only.

You can go right to the horses mouth by contacting:

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Optician's Registry
Professional Licensing & Certification Division
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756-3183
PHONE:(512) 834-6661
FAX:(512) 834-6677

.

The above info is outdated and incorrect. The Optician's Registry no longer exists (as of last August). It was only a voluntary registry for ABO certified Opticians. The only thing you need to open an optical in Texas is a business name and tax i.d. If you are going to sell CL's you need to register (and pay) the state. A couple of other tidbits; If the location is Optician owned, you fall under the purview of the State Optometry Board whom can come audit your records anytime they please (rare without as complaint). If it's owned by an MD they have no jurisdiction. ( Falls under the medical board).


Back when we had the voluntary registry, the Optometry Board had no jurisdiction over Optician's or Optician owned shops if they were registered. ( State Health Dept did.) So to answer the question; Anybody can open an optical in Texas with very little paperwork (most of it only for banking/taxing reasons.) just like opening a bait shop.

[Robert Martellaro]

I know what a bean counter is but explain the shyster...or are they one and the same?

A legal shyster, maybe from the school of Saul Goodman. I would recommend a lawyer, unless you're participating in illegal trade, then you would need a criminal lawyer

[Java99]

I ain't from Texas but I did drive through there once so do not take my advise seriously. It is intended your amusement and entertainment only.

You can go right to the horses mouth by contacting:

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Optician's Registry
Professional Licensing & Certification Division
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756-3183
PHONE:(512) 834-6661
FAX:(512) 834-6677

That will probably be the easy part. You will probably just have to fog a mirror and pay an exorbitant fee. The difficult and costly requirements will be to obtain a business license in your locale, get a Federal and possibly State Tax ID number, Insurance and God only knows what else. I, personally, would not take a single step until I had a good bean counter and shyster on my side.

The Optician's Registry ceased to exist in Sept 2015.

You will need a state Tax ID, and a DBA in your county. The state comptroller's website is where you should start.

[SpectacleLLC]

Haven't seen any recent comments on this thread. Is opening an optical shop without a doctor something that is do-able these days? I am looking into opening a shop in a town that only has one OD with a dispensary that is notoriously over crowded, takes forever for glasses to come back, and has poor customer service, and then there's a WalMart. There are no OMDs within 20 miles but the town is perfect place because it has a lot of retirees in area that are likely to shop local if they can avoid traveling back to big city to deal with wholesale ppl like LC. I feel the location is great, but I don't have an established referral base or a following other than being well known in this town (so, maybe there is a following that will take place...). It feels right, but with the industry the way it is I would love some input from those that are currently doing it. Have the answers from 5 years ago changed or is the advise still relatively the same and conflicting (depending on who you ask) like previous posts suggest?

p.s. what are the typical payment terms associated with new line of independent frames? On receipt, 30,45, 60 days? Trying to figure out pro forma financials and is important to know.

[Java99]

Well, nothing for me has changed in the past 5 years. Still here. Still doing fine with no doc. Terms will vary by manufacturer - always up for negotiation.

[UtilityDave]

was beaten to the response!

[Chris Ryser]

p.s. what are the typical payment terms associated with new line of independent frames? On receipt, 30,45, 60 days? Trying to figure out pro forma financials and is important to know.

Any normal run company these days will give 30 days net credit, if the credit worthiness has been established and the customer can prove it.

Many companies will also take payment by credit card at the point of ordering and you can stretch your payment as long as you want, if you pay the extremely high interest charges.

Any frame seller that gives extended payment terms or free returns with no terms limits , from the start, is overcharging his/hers products by a long way.

There are no freebies in that department, you are paying for everything you get.