framed
Fashionable
Eyewear in
Rural Ontario
By Denis Langlois
Optician Brian McGrath, owner of Elmira Eyewear,
says he’s proud to operate an independently
owned and operated optical business.
“The benefits of operating as an independent
will often present itself in the relationships
we cultivate with our customers,” he says.
“The feeling of pride and accomplishment
when your customers look to you as a trusted
professional they can rely on. The job satisfaction
when you created a new customer because you
had the tools and expertise to solve a problem
that no one else could fix. A casual hello
or brief conversation from a customer as you
walk down the street.”
It’s those experiences, he says, that also help
to “soften the sacrifices” often borne by small
business owners.
McGrath graduated from Georgian College’s
opticians’ course in 1992 and opened Elmira
Eyewear in 1999 after working in chain and
big box stores.
A student optician also works at the store and
an optometrist sees clients two days a week.
Recently, McGrath chatted with Optical Prism
about his business, which is just north of
Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.
48 OPTICAL PRISM | July 2018
Q. What kind of clientele does your store service?
A. I have a very diverse clientele in Elmira. Being a rural community,
many of my customers are a mix of farmers as well as business pro-
fessionals who prefer to live outside of the city. I also service a large
Mennonite community located in and around this region.
Q. What are the primary brand names your store features? What
are your most popular styles?
A. I carry a broad mix of recognizable brand name products such as
RayBan, Oakley, Emporio Armani and Versace. Lightec, OGA and
Ted Baker also have a good representation here along with other
brands. Many of my customers search out the brand name products
since it’s easily researched online and they enjoy the variety and vast
style options these large collections can have. Good warranties and
quickness to get parts in case of breakage are also always on their
minds as farmers tend to be the toughest on eyewear compared to
most urbanites.
Q. What kind of marketing tools do you use?
A. I use a variety of marketing tools. Local newspaper ads and mail-
ers have proven effective. Facebook and Twitter have been useful
tools and continue to be an easy and cost free way of getting informa-
tion out. Word-of-mouth in small communities is by far the best type
of advertising. You always have to be providing an extremely high
level of service since any negative or sub-par reviews will be quickly
spread during casual conversations.
Q. Are there any changes or plans for the future for the store?
For the foreseeable future continuing to drive the optometry side of
my business, staying relevant, fresh and adaptive to the ever-chang-
ing retail market will always be on my weekly planner.