When I joined the Vision Expo team in 2016, my goal was to engage with as many independent optical retailers as possible. I quickly realized that the most effective way to do this was to get on the road and visit them at their optical stores.
I packed my bags and hit the road for two weeks at a time, from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. During my visits, I meet some of the most creative and inspiring leaders in our community, and what I enjoy the most is hearing their unique independent stories. From small boutiques to large-scale retailers with multi-storefronts, each one embodies their own values and prides themselves on unique and excellent customer service.
I took each optometrist, optician and frame buyer’s story back to the team so we could be inspired to present the best experience and value for independent retailers at Vision Expo. I then began to document my optical visits on social media. The supportive response from the industry has been overwhelming. That’s when I envisioned creating the OPTImum Retail Award to celebrate independent boutique retailers by showcasing their products, storefronts, visions and most importantly… their stories.
Applicants were encouraged to show off the aesthetics of their retail space, share how they strategically place their brands, highlight their marketing and social media presence, and how they build their unique business. The judges included some of the most well-known and highly respected leaders in our industry: Dr. Arian Fartash (Instagram influencer @GlamOptometrist), Christian Roth (legendary eyewear designer and president of the edCFDA) and James Spina (Editor-in-Chief of 20/20 Magazine).
Entries for the OPTImum Retailer Award poured in from 15 different states and several countries making it a true international award. The judges had the difficult task of narrowing the submissions down to four finalists: Atelier Mira, New York City; EyeQ Stylists, Holetown, Barbados; Spex by Ryan, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; and Todd Rogers, Andover, Mass.
Christian Roth shared that “it was very inspiring reading about the achievements of the nominees and the amazing efforts they provide to make it possible to sell our eyewear to consumers. All the participating retailers were great. It was also refreshing to have a plethora of independent fashion-forward retailers based beyond just the major metropolitan cities.”
The final scores not only consisted of the judges’ scores but also factored in social media votes allowing the optical community to be the fourth man at the judge’s table giving input on which of these retailers inspired them the most. Initially, I thought we would receive a few hundred votes on social media. I was surprised when we received over 5,000 votes making this Vision Expo’s most successful social media campaign.
The margin between first and second place was slim, only 0.2 percentage points when the judge’s votes were combined with social media scores. At a live presentation at Vision Expo East this past March during the Eye Believe Panel, it was announced that the 2018 OPTImum Retailer of the Year was Todd Rogers Eyewear.
I was thrilled to see Todd’s incredible retail reaction to the top prize. After winning the award, Todd said, “It’s incredibly poignant that this accolade came at this stage of my career and life. I finally feel that I’m on top of my game, and you couldn’t have convinced me of that just a few years ago. I look around at the shop I’ve built, the clients who have morphed into friends, and the waves of new customers who have been referred, and I know in my gut that I’ve done something right. From a personal perspective, being able to share this award with my two young sons and my lovely wife means everything; and of course there was the call to my mom after we won. I’m humbled, honored and psyched to be an optician in this day and age. The challenges get greater, but this win is so sweet!”
There is a quote from Pierre de Coubertin that Christian Roth often uses: “The important thing is not to win, but to take part.” The entire Vision Expo team thanks all the independent retailers who participated in the OPTImum Retail Award and shared their creativity and stories with us as well as the judges and the social media followers who took time to review each nominee’s story and make their selection.
I’m excited to keep this incredible awards program going. A call to action for the 2019 OPTImum Retail Award will be announced on the Vision Expo website in January 2019. As for me, I’m going to continue traveling to meet fantastic retailers, doctors and their staff who continue to inspire me to ensure their time spent at Vision Expo keep them inspired.
Tarrence Lackran is the director of industry relations at Reed Exhibitions for the Vision Expo family of shows. Since becoming a part of the team in 2016, Lackran works with Suzanne Krauss, OPTImum coordinator, to manage Vision Expo’s OPTImum program. He loves streetwear, music, traveling, sushi and of course, eyewear! Follow his OPTImum stories on Instagram at @tlofvisionexpo.
