Our Mission
Independent Optical Exists for Two Reasons:
The first is to help our patients see as well as they possibly can by using the latest techniques and equipment available, combined with “old school” hand fitting techniques.
The second is to provide the Charleston area with access to the finest workshop-made craft eyewear from around the world, at prices the same or less than the “corporate” mass-produced eyewear found virtually everywhere else.
We take great pleasure in providing a vision experience to our patient-customer that sends them through our door seeing better AND looking better than they ever have. We regularly hear “I didn’t know this existed” when working to find just the perfect frame.
Not only do we have amazing eyewear, we have quite a bit of it. Each of our eyewear brands stands alone, providing a unique look, feel and fit. Every one does something unique, whether through the sophistication of the materials, the design strategy of the brand’s designer or the precision of craftsmanship of the maker. Every piece we carry has both a story of its own, and we strive to find you the perfect piece that tells a story about you.
Craft Eyewear
Understanding craft eyewear requires a bit of back story about the optical industry. If you have visited a few optometrists and maybe a couple big-box or mall optical stores, you may have noticed that the eyewear you’ve encountered all looks about the same and most has the same “designer” names affixed to it. This is because the industry is dominated by a couple of large, multi-national corporations. They manufacture tens of millions of frames in third-world factories and put the names of brands you might be familiar with on them under licensing agreements. These companies own the frame manufacturers, lens manufacturers, the two big optical insurance companies and most of the stores you’ve seen these glasses in. We avoid this type of product. We discovered we could find small companies making great products that aren’t burdened with having to send large royalty checks to celebrities for the use of their names. CRAFT EYEWEAR is made by small companies who do their own design work and manufacture their own products. Often times this process is accomplished by master craftsmen sitting at workbenches, using hand tools to craft these products in the same manner as the eyewear made by their fathers and grandfathers. In places like the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, Oyonnax France, Sabae Japan and even Brooklyn New York, these small companies work tirelessly to create an amazing product. Yet, the ultimate satisfaction occurs when the wearer finds just that perfect piece- that frame that fits like it was made for them. That thing that an hour before they didn’t even know existed. An item that they never realized could and would make them feel differently about themselves. Something made with skill and passion by someone that cares. That’s Craft Eyewear.
The Curated Approach
There isn’t a single thing inside our doors that isn’t there for an exceptionally well thought out reason. And the two things we put the most thought into is the eyewear we sell and the patient-customer experience. Our process starts with an eye exam using the most advanced diagnostic equipment possible. At the same time, we go “old school” with every patient, performing a trial frame fitting. This process involves placing individual lenses onto a special frame that replicates the visual experience of actual eyeglasses. This allows us to tweak and tune our corrections to the finest degree. And it gets the patient out from behind the cumbersome diagnostic equipment and into what their real-world vision will be.
Our Curated Approach is no more evident than in the product lines we carry. Each manufacturer’s collection has their own individual look, feel and “voice”. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t make it to our displays. Every one does something a little bit differently. In the way they look and feel, the styling and how they do what they do. We only deal with people who are truly passionate about the products they make and have a talent that makes them stand out from their lesser competitors. We go so far as to import some of our lines ourselves just to have the kind of eyewear we love to carry. And we don’t just have two of this and three of that. We carry hundreds and hundreds of pieces from these collections. Maybe the best part is that this eyewear and the experience we bring with it costs no more than the eyewear found anywhere else. We have frame and lens combos starting at under $200 for amazing quality craft-made frames and world-class Zeiss lenses. Of course, we carry some of the most exclusive eyewear in the world, made of exotic and precious metals, natural buffalo horn, and we can also fit you with a one-off frame designed and crafted exclusively for you. And no matter which end of the spectrum you find yourself on, the experience is the same.
• CALL US at 843.936.1616 and we will find you a time that fits your needs.
• You can also TEXT US at (843) 773-5181 and we will get right back to you
• If you prefer, you can EMAIL US at [email protected]
• Or if you like, you can USE THE FORM BELOW to send us a message