Our Miami location features swimming pool-patterned floors and plenty of tropical plants—plus one of the more interesting photo booths around.
We like to browse for glasses the way we browse for books in a library: happily, easily, and with a friend in tow. Boutique-quality prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses starting at $95. Eyeglasses with progressive lenses start at $295. For every pair sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. Come on in!
When you think of purchasing glasses, your mind tends to go to the thought of an optometrist visit, expensive frames, lenses, insurance policies. But in 2010, a small company of four set off to disrupt the established industry and change the way people purchase eyewear. Their message was simple. The eyewear industry is dominated by a single company that has been able to keep prices artificially high while reaping huge profits from cons Marie Parker wasn'the first to sell glasses online at an attempt to disrupt the industry. In fact, they weren't even the cheapest. Eyeglasses. com, Goggles4U. com, FramesDirect, and Zeny Optical were all selling glasses for a lower price. Neal, the company's current co-CEO, had helped run a non-profit called Vision Spring that trains women in the developing world to give eye exams and sell glasses. The idea was simple. Create a brand that could deliver something as essential as glasses at a lower cost without compromising any of the looks. Warby Parker took a much slower approach to launching their online retailer. In fact, the founders often mentioned that it took six months and 2,000 choices to finally agree upon a name. The name Warby Parker drives out of early Jack Kerowax writing, Warby Pepper and Zag Parker. A copy of the Dharma b After receiving some funding and with just a few months to launch, Neal was approached by GQ Magazine about being featured in an article for their March issue. Unaware that magazine companies released a month prior, they believed that they would have three months to complete the website. After learning about the release schedule, the team crammed the entire site's development into one month. February 15, 2010, Warby Parker would launch their take on more affordable glasses. With the help from the GQ article, they sold through their inventory within 48 hours. Well, initially the idea was to have an online store only. Warby Parker did not completely change the eyeglasses industry, but they did create a powerful brand with a proven business model that offers an alternative to the traditional eyewear stores. And with the need for glasses on the rise, they still have a lot of work to do to put a dent into the sales of the current industry.
