What a year, 2015! (Part 1)

It's that time of year when you reflect somewhat and look forward even more, this is exactly what I did when I realised that it'd been a few months since our last blog!  Oops - there's a New Year's Resolution right there!  Must do better!

2015 ... WOW!

What a great year!  As a young business we are always looking for the next milestone, perhaps even the next reassurance that we are on the right path.  You could say it's a little needy, but you pour your hopes and dreams in to the business you create and so it helps to seek reassurance that they're not just going to crash and burn.

January

The year started off in a great way, continuing to create fabulous eyewear for folks to wear.  When

we say create, we really do mean that we can individually make one-off custom frames exactly to the desires of the wearer.

A great example of this is shown with local designer Bethan.  We had a definite look in mind, and starting with a slightly cats- eye  shaped frame, we weaved some wonderful design magic using the TD Tom Davies Supertool CAD system.  The end result - nailing exactly the look we were going for.

One of the great things about working with TD Tom Davies is that not only do you get to have fun with the creativity of designing the frame, you also end up with a beautifully fitting pair of glasses.  Like a made-to-measure tailored suit, the glasses just feel wonderful to wear.  This really set the tone for the rest of the year.

Then do you remember what happened next?  How can you forget!  Snow!  Snow, snow, snow, snow and snow.  With a side of ice.

 

The first few months were brutal and there's no getting away from it, there were some hard old days in those first few months for Downtown Halifax.  Sadly some of our friends on the downtown business scene were not able to make it through.

Getting out in these days and exploring the downtown is an incredible support for all of the many wonderful local small and independent businesses that make up the vibrant scene in Halifax.  If the weather happens again in 2016, you know what you've got to do.

March

On the night that the worst snow storm rolled in to Nova Scotia, our two docs (and owners) Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty headed off in to the wilderness.

Well, not quite, but they started an epic road trip to head to New York.  Driving cautiously in a blizzard all the way through New Brunswick, then travelling further on driving right through the night to get to New York, was definitely a moment which cemented the friendship of the creators of Ocean!

Why were they doing it?  Did they really stop to have a snooze at LL Bean?  Did they learn their lesson that when meeting border guards you are not the one allowed to crack the first joke?  In a snow storm?  At midnight?

The simple reason - to bring the finest independent eyewear from throughout the world back to Halifax.It was time to venture to the Big Apple again, on one of our buying trips looking for incredible eyewear to have exclusively at Ocean.  We seek out independent manufacturers who can produce eyewear which meets our exacting standards.  What are they?  They must be high quality, superbly designed, well made and have that 'X' factor - that they excite us.The trip to New York is a real highlight in our calendar and there is so much that we could share with you about it, here's just a few pictures:

May

Finally the weather started to warm up and, as you know, the sun is always shining on Blowers Street!

As the weather started to play nice, the city started to wake up out of hibernation and one of our favourite events came around - Open City.

This year we were joined by Humble Pies from Dartmouth who came across with a warmer and their most delicious pies.

If your in Dartmouth and looking for some fine food, then definitely check them out - http://humblepiekitchen.ca/It was a lovely day and we met lots of new people who we kind of new through the Twitterverse, as well as spending a fun day with the Humble Pie folks.  Humble Pie is a lovely new business creating the most delicious New Zealand style pies, if you haven't experienced them already they now have a permanent home over on King Street in Dartmouth, they also have a regular Friday pop-up in Fred, Halifax.It really wasn't long before we were starting to enjoy some beautiful evenings as well, as well as working hard, at Ocean, we like to enjoy life and relax as well.

Spending time with the people you love doing the things you love is incredibly important, don't forget to do it.  We love Nova Scotia and the fact that in the winter you can be skating on the lakes, but when summer rolls around you'll be swimming in them. The first six months of the year aren't over and already so much has happened, but to top it all, in May we were also honoured to meet Mayor Mike Savage.  First Dr. Euan and Dr. John were privileged to go to his office and then Mayor Savage came to Ocean to find out all what we were about.I'm not sure he quite got what he was meant to be doing during the eye examination, but it really was a wonderful experience meeting him and we are humbled by the time that he shared with us.

Through out all this busyness we did also manage to help some fabulous folks into some fine, fine eyewear!  We love regularly featuring them as our "Catch of the Day" through our social media feeds, so make sure you give us a follow on FaceBook, Twitter and  Instagram.

Stay tuned, we're only half way through 2015 ... more to come!

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?!

New York / Vision East Expo Day 5

Hard to believe that this is our fifth day in NYC, this is turning into quite the marathon event.  Looking at our schedule we knew that this was going to be a busy day, we had a lot of appointments, and quite a special day - we would only be spending half of it at the actual convention centre.

Visiting the stands at the convention centre brings many great things, you inevitably see new things across all of the different sectors that make up the optometric business.  You find some amazing unexpected finds, perhaps hidden away in a smaller booth or tucked away in a corner.  You also see some tremendous showboating by some of the industry giants as they try to prove that my stand is bigger than your stand.  We could go on at some length about how awful some of these are, but that's not why we're here.  When we see these monstrosities, though, it does reassure us that we are absolutely correct to continue to forge great relationship with independent manufacturers, designers and suppliers.

This mornings hidden gem was something that we have been looking for since before we opened, and today we found the solution - literally!  We have been looking for an eyeglass cleaner spray that we were happy with for a long time, we wanted something as environmentally friendly as possible, which did a great job of cleaning and protecting your lenses and fitted our general office philosophies.  Now we have it:

Our very own 'local' eyeglass cleaner

When you now pick up your new eyewear, be sure to pick up a bottle of this spray formulated with Nova Scotia water!  The great thing is, when you have this bottle you can come back any time to get it re-filled - we want you to keep your eyeglasses looking fabulous, after all!

So, where shall we start today? With our only appointment at the show, first thing.  We love working with this supplier who creates our very own line of "by Ocean" eyeglasses for us.  These offer a great value option with frames handmade in Germany in a clean and elegant style.  We updated our selection of shapes and also added in more sunglasses - we are so confident that this winter will end!

Now, with a few hours before our rendezvous in an Airstream, we go for an explore.  This is when we found our eyeglass cleaner.  It also gave us an opportunity to look at some of the eye exam equipment.  We admit it, we are eye geeks through and through and when we are presented with a range of eye-toys it's very difficult to resist.  So, we didn't!  Dr Wilson picked up a new lens for examining the back of the eyes in great detail and we also choose some new tools to help us in our day to day eye examinations and when we have an eye emergency of some foreign matter stuck in the eye.  All of these additional tools add to both the range and quality of services we can provide in the eye care/eye health factor of our business.

Activist Eyewear

With the exploring over, it was time to head out, cross the rainy street and find a polished Airstream.  Inside were our friends Activist Eyewear.  Anthony & Mark gave us a very warm welcome and there's no denying that this is a seriously cool place to come and meet with them.  It is slightly surreal inside with the polished, curved walls creating a funfair hall of mirrors type effect, but with some cool mood lighting and groovy tunes you can get away with anything!

We love how Activist have an exquisite level of attention to detail.  There are so many subtle touches throughout the whole range and within each product that let you know you really have something special.  It really was a simple decision for us to order in more of their ophthalmic frames which people have been loving in Halifax.  Once we are done with the ophthalmic collection, we move on to their sunglasses.  Wow!

These really are fabulous, combining a sense of classic style with modern functionality, you are sure to be choosing sunglasses that not only look great but perform superbly.  Make sure you follow our Twitter and Facebook posts as we'll definitely be announcing when these arrive in our office and we suspect that they're not going to hang around for long when they do!

We shoot the breeze for a while as Anthony & Mark really are lovely people to spend time with, but with our next appointment looming soon enough it's time to head out into a rainy March day in New York.

After a short walk we arrived at the Loft - this time to do business, rather than to party.  Mind you, what a place to do business!

The sparkliest business venue ever!

The exhibitors at the Loft are perhaps some of the most exclusive eyewear ranges available, the cream of the crop.  The Loft was originally started by Bevel to try to provide a better setting to choose eyewear in and to get away from the burden of dealing with the main venue's exhibition red tape.  In so many ways, they have succeeded.  The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, there are a wonderful collection of exhibitors and you get the sense of both open-ness and intimacy at the same time.  There does not feel any pressure to choose your selection and move on, here.

We start with meeting with Bernhard Wolf, from Rolf.  Rolf are by far the best makers of natural product eyewear globally at the moment, bar none.  With frames made from wood, stone and buffalo horn their selection is exquisite.  When choosing to carry Rolf Spectacles we knew that having a good relationship with them would be important, as a family business Rolf completely get the importance of this.  We spend time with Bernhard, review their offerings and bring ourselves up to date with all of their activities.

We then spend some time with Bevel.  Bevel is a line which we have not reviewed before, however, as they are the innovators of the Loft, it would seem rude not to.  Firstly, they are thoroughly nice people ... thoroughly!  Creative, global, caring and most of all ... nice!  So it's already looking good from the relationship point of view.  In saying that, we already had quite a lot of stock organised and some more appointments to go.  We have good lines chosen for the office already that have been working well for us, do we really need another range?

We get down to the task in hand and start to go through the range - beautiful, simply, beautiful.  Hand made in Japan, their quality is superb.  Oh, go on then, let's chose some of these, they really are wonderful.

Then we go to our final appointment - SALT.  We've been looking forward to this for quite some time, they really are a range of eyeglasses which has become a firm favourite in our office.  After meeting with all the great people of SALT., including designer David who we'd last seen in Paris, it was time to catch up with Amy - our local agent from Ontario.  We went through the new collection, you feel very special seeing the models as they have just been launched and aren't even in the market yet.

What's new for this year for us?  Sunglasses from SALT. Having found their ophthalmic frames to be such a popular range and having found their quality to be exemplary, adding the sunglasses range was an easy decision.

Some of the models are available as both sunglasses and ophthalmic frames and some are just available as one or the other.  SALT. sunnies come with quality polarized lenses as standard and we are able to put prescription lenses in all of the.

Thankfully we also managed to find some wonderful models to help us choose the sunglasses that we wanted to showcase at Ocean.

Okay, maybe it wasn't all about modelling the sunglasses, maybe it was all about just shooting the breeze with a cool California vibe while looking fabulous and feeling 100% the absolute rockstar.  They're not just sunglasses, they're a lifestyle choice, and you know it!

Did we order some?

Absolutely!

We were in New York; we were there avoiding a storm that was burying Nova Scotia in snow; we were hiding from the rain lashing down outside - but we were wearing the coolest sunglasses and in our world the sun was most definitely shining.

Our sunglasses collection.

As a final note we are very thankful for the time that all of the companies give us.  We are fairly intensive about wanting to be completely knowledgeable about the products that we carry and some of our questions are challenging.  It is important to us to know the construction techniques inside out and back to front, we want to ensure that the glasses you  choose from Ocean are second to none.

For more information about these independent eyewear ranges please see:
Activist Eyewear - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/activist-eyewear
Rolf Spectacles - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/rolf-spectacles
Bevel Spectacles - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/bevel
SALT. Optics - http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/salt

The rainy day finished with a lovely Italian meal in an incredibly busy restaurant right on 7th Avenue near Central Park.  Kindly invited as guests of Allergan again, it is a great chance to catch up with both optometrist colleagues, especially from different provinces, and the professionals from Allergan.