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FAMILY BY
HER SIDE
By Denis Langlois
Amina Coovadia-Bell says she learned a lot on
her journey to becoming a registered optician
and business owner from her parents.
“I grew up in the health care business with
my parents mentoring me at a young age -
working in a pharmacy and doing everything
from stocking shelves to helping in the dispen-
sary with my father to learning how to run a
business from my mother,” she recalls.
After becoming a registered optician in 1996,
Coovadia-Bell and her mother, Shamim, pursued
together the status of refracting optician.
“It was not only an education but a unique
time in my life where I enjoyed the dynamic
of studying with my mother and meeting en-
trepreneurs who were passionate about the
profession and were engaged in the political
aspects of the industry,” she says.
Coovadia-Bell founded The Spectacle Shoppe,
an eye clinic/optical dispensary in Sutton
West, Ont., in 2009. Her mother is still by her
side; working at the business. We spoke with
Coovadia-Bell about her shop and role with
the Ontario Opticians Association.
48 OPTICAL PRISM | March 2018
Q. Tell us about your clientele and the eyewear available
at your store.
A. The clientele ranges from the cottagers who spend their summers
enjoying the lake to the families who have made this picturesque
area their home. I feature frames from Denmark, Germany, London,
Austria, Sweden, the UK and others. I search out elements that are
classic and timeless as well as the newest innovative looks of the
season. The variety of pastimes that my patients have compels me to
focus on eyewear with durability, functionality and capturing a sporty
look but delivering superb comfort and edginess.
Q. What are the benefits of owning an independent eyewear shop?
A. Having my own business allows me the freedom of catering to
each individual to the best of my ability. I am not restricted to lens
designs, materials, fitting parameters, specific companies or
branding. I promote what I believe in.
Q. What’s in store for your business in the future?
A. As the town slowly grows and changes, the business will evolve.
The Spectacle Shoppe will be expanding and specializing in
a number of areas such as low vision.
Q. Tell us about your work with the OOA.
A. I have been a board director for seven years. I have the utmost re-
spect for the team. They are an incredible diverse group of opticians
that have a drive to achieve great shifts in the profession. The team
contributes countless hours collectively with the OAC to advocate
the profession on many levels from reviewing and researching regu-
lated bylaws and standards, meeting with politicians and bureaucrats
regarding current and proposed legislation to providing symposiums
to educate colleagues on the newest technology.