New York / Vision East Expo Day 6

Wow! Our sixth day in NYC, this trip has turned into quite some marathon!

With yet more appointments, though, it was time to dig deep and find the energy and enthusiasm to keep going.  All packed up, a quick coffee and muffin at the Yotel does the trick and we head off back to the Loft to meet with Claire Goldsmith.

Classic style - OG Sunglasses

You may have seen some of our previous blogs featuring Claire, or even our YouTube video from Paris last year.  Claire has an enviable heritage in eyewear design, being a fourth generation eyewear creator, but she is not one to rest on her laurels.  With celebrities like Lady Gaga wearing her pieces, you know that you really are working with some of the best contemporary eyewear design when reviewing her collection.  More than that, though, is she is a thoroughly lovely person with a great sense of joy and independent spirit!

More caffeine fuel is added, well it would be rude not to when they have a bean to cup espresso machine on hand, we sit down to first review the ophthalmic collection.  There are many beautiful pieces to choose from and throughout the collection there is an overall sense of consistency and design elegance which comes through in the individual pieces and adds to the sense of a collection as a whole.

Then the fun really begins as we review the Oliver Goldsmith sunglass collection.  Halifax definitely has fallen in love with our OG sunglasses, so adding to them is a simple decision.  They are fun, classic, stylish and, it has to be said, sexy!  When you want to feel glamorous, nothing is better than a pair of OG sunglasses.

Time very quickly passes and it's hard to believe that our moments in the Loft are now over.  We make a last round visiting the many friends that we've come to know and can't believe that in this one space there is such an international gathering of people who all have such a passion ... such a love ... for the eyewear business.

It's not over!

Lindberg Spirit

Back to the main convention centre, we head to the Lindberg stand.  Stylish elegant, minimalist, classic and many other words which seem to capture the essence Danish design.  Visiting their stand confirms this as Lindberg always has a very unique stand that they use at exhibitions and New York is no exception.  It is a bright stand, with crisp lines, integrating hi-tech displays and radiates a sense of calm and quiet in a sea of busy-ness.  It's a pleasure to arrive there!

It seems funny sitting down with Matt, from Lindberg, almost exactly a year on since we last met.  There has been so much activity over the last year and Matt has been a steady resource for us by e-mail and telephone ensuring that we are working well with Lindberg and that they are working well for us.  While there are many other rimless eyewear ranges available, none have the quality, history and elegance of Lindberg.

We quickly update ourselves with the new models and styles available and look at what other options are available within the Lindberg collection.  It's also an opportunity to review their precious metals collection.  Not something which we currently carry, however, it is lovely to see fine eyewear made from such fine materials.

And is that it?

We have another appointment to attend, which didn't lead to us purchasing.  When we review any collection there are many different factors we have to consider and this collection is one which is right on the wire when it comes to stocking it or not.  It is perhaps unfortunate, but coming at the end of such a good show, with so many wonderful orders, it is just not to be at this time.  We will re-visit it, though.

Quite exhausted, we head to the bus for the airport.  It feels very good to be finally heading home after such long days, but we are also a little sad.  To be able to immerse ourselves in a world of eye related products, information, technology, education and enthusiasm is really wonderful feeling.  To know that it will be the Fall before we do so again, in Paris, is just a little disappointing.  To know that it will be another whole year until the next New York is very disappointing!  The life of a true eye geek is a hard one ... so stay tuned to find out just how much harder it then gets! What could possibly go wrong?!