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!

What's scary about choosing eyewear?

We have many wonderful interactions with people coming in to Ocean Optometry to look for eyewear, but in the eighteen months since we have opened we have come to realise that perhaps we do things a little differently!  I'm not sure if it's right or wrong; better or worse ... it's just how we do things!

Then I remembered - we have a blog!  What a perfect vehicle to explain how we do things here at Ocean!

So here's some things to be aware of:

1 - We don't bite!

Seriously, we don't!  I know some people are concerned about asking for help - perhaps we will pounce on them?  We won't!

Mike, our optician, going through frame options with Stuart

We always try to make sure that when you come in to Ocean you are acknowledged, even if we are busy.  It's nice to be acknowledged.  We may even strike up a conversation, and that's just being polite.

If this is your first time visiting Ocean, we will explain a little about the collections of eyewear that we carry and give you a brief idea of the layout.  This lets you get a feel for the lie of the land.  Some people at this stage will want to then have a look unaccompanied, and we will always respect this.

It's fun to be able to try on different frames, without feeling that you are being watched.  One thing to be aware of, though, is we have hundreds of frames to choose from and it can all get somewhat overwhelming.  This is when having expert assistance in selecting eyewear comes in to its own, and that may not be the family or friends that are with you!

Hana falling in love with an Activist frame

At Ocean we are expert in choosing the right frames for you both in terms of form and function.

The frames have to look fantastic and be just what you are looking for, but they also have to work with your prescription.

Especially with frame ranges like TD Tom Davies where we can make a one-off frame completely from scratch just for you, having expert advice is invaluable.

We are sure you won't regret letting us help you choose your eyewear!

2 - There are no boys and girls!

We don't have our frames displayed by "gents" and "ladies" or male/female; boys/girls ... however you want phrase it!  These are collections of fine eyewear, not washroom selections!

The collections of eyewear that we carry all have unique characteristics - this is one of the advantages of working with independent eyewear manufacturers.

The frames selections that we have are not mass-produced homogenized product with a brand label stuck on it through a licensing agreement.  The eyewear collections are all hand made, often in small production runs, by artisan craftsmen with years of skill, knowledge and tradition.  They are producing styles created by designers who are the very cutting edge of eyewear fashion and the creators of the trends that others follow.

Eyewear by collection

Often you may hear terms like "designer eyewear" and it has become, in many ways, an overused and somewhat meaningless phrase.  What would perhaps be more correct would be "brand eyewear" or "label eyewear", where an eyewear manufacturing company has either bought a company for its brand, or has bought the licensing rights for a well known brand.

These frames are then designed in house, produced by that manufacturer and using the added strength of the brand attraction.  In many ways, what was originally attractive, inspirational or unique about a particular brand may no longer be true.  Eyewear brands such as Oakley and Ray-ban are no longer manufactured by the original makers, but produced by the same company.  If all that is important is the brand, and this may indeed be the key feature you are looking for, then you will be satisfied with your purchase.  At Ocean, however, we would rather pay for quality than a name!

Having definite collections to choose between allows you to really get a feel for the different eyewear ranges, so have fun exploring to find out what appeals to your senses.

3 - Is your eyewear exclusive or one-off?

Well, yes and no!

Hand made, embedded with French lace

If we design a Couture TD Tom Davies frame then it's definitely a one-off frame. Some of our frames are made from or incorporate natural materials, so they are definitely one-off frames, you will never find exactly the same colouration or patterning again.

When we choose our frame ranges, we like to offer something different.  Generally we are the only office within the Maritimes to carry any of the frame lines we do, in fact, there may not be anyone east of Toronto with the frame collection, perhaps even all of Canada!

SALT. are handcrafted in Japan

As the frame collections are hand made in limited production runs it is also important to remember that it may not be possible for us to order in a frame again.  When we do order eyewear, we don't like to repeat frames models and colours, we always like to have fresh and new selections to pick from.

We do advise people looking at our collections of this, and perhaps some think this is just a sales gimmick, but we can assure you it's not.  If someone comes back in and asks us for a frame which has already been chosen, there is nothing that we would love to do more than sell it again - that makes our lives so much easier!  There can be huge element of disappointment, though, to find out that the frame you set your heart upon last week has now gone.

Our best advice is if you find something you like, go for it!

This way you avoid any chance of disappointment.  It is not feasible for us to put frames aside, this would not be fair on other people coming in to look for their new eyewear.

Drift - handmade with reclaimed wood from sailing ships

If we are able to order in a frame which has gone, it is useful to remember there may be additional costs due to single piece shipping/customs charges.  With hand made products, we also find that there can be slight variations even when we receive the same model/colour again - this is part of their beauty.  If a patient has also requested that we do not re-order a particular frame we will also always respect that.

What's the take home message?

1. Choosing new eyewear should be a fun experience, let us help you and it definitely will be!
2. Find out about the different collections, knowing the history behind them make appreciating the design elements all the more significant.
3. Don't be a commitment-phobe!  If you find eyewear that you like, then make that decision and order them.

We will always give our honest opinion when you are choosing eyewear as we want people to love you in your new glasses - that way they will ask you where you got them from!  It's not all about you, after all ;-) !

Mark coming down to his final choice!

New York / Vision East Expo Day 3

The day started bright and clear, but cold.  We shouldn't really complain, though, as we'd escaped the snow storm which had battered Nova Scotia over the last 24 hours so we were fortunate to be in New York.

This day was going to be a very special day - TD Tom Davies's Creative Lab.  We were invited to spend a whole day with Tom and his team to have further training in the creation, design and modification of spectacle frames.  We have carried the TD Tom Davies range since we opened and already felt very comfortable and confident with our abilities to bespoke the measurements for specific requirements and create unique colour combinations as one-off eyeglasses for our patients.  It is always good, however, to refresh our knowledge and we wondered what else the day would bring.

A short stroll from our hotel brought us to the very cool Ink 48 hotel, one of New York's fine boutique hotels.  In we went and straight up the elevator to the penthouse floor.  While this may seem lavish, the cost was a fraction compared to exhibiting at the main show and many of the frame companies we work with choose this option as it helps protect their concepts and designs from the prying eyes of those who would simply wish to copy them.

The Creative Lab awaits

As we come out of the elevator, at the end of the corridor an open door and sign beckons - this is kind of exciting, I have to say!

Wow!  We walk in to the suite and are greeted with 180° views of the Manhattan skyline and out over the Hudson River.  We meet with Tom and Nathan, it's great to quickly catch up with them since we last met in Paris.  While we chat regularly by phone and e-mail, there's nothing better than meeting face to face to really catch up.

One of the limited edition pieces

To start the day we review the collection of frames that Tom has with him.  This represents not only his full collection, but also some limited edition pieces and also some prototypes which are current works in progress. 

We were looking to choose five or more frames that we liked or inspired us to then work on.  This particular blue on blue titanium/acetate limited edition model definitely caught my eye.

Lots of choices

With the pieces chosen, the next thing was to download all of the CAD files from Tom's database.  With the CAD printed off we were then set to work.  Tom gave an introduction to designing and modifying frames from the drawings.

This is a very different experience to modifying a frame for a particular patient, here you are given a complete free reign - you can change a thickness here, an angle there, even modify the position of different components on the frame.  Whatever you can imagine can be achieved, of course, whether it will work or not is another matter!

CAD with modifications

It's almost overwhelming to begin with.  Perhaps inside every eye geek is an inner feeling that they could be an eyewear designer.  Now we were having a chance to try our hands at it, it's almost like being a kid in a candy store and being told you can pick anything ... everything!  Where to start!?

With a few swoops of a pencil, though, we started to get in to a groove.  I like how the frame is here, but I'd change the frame there.  I like the bridge from this frame, so I'll use it on that one.  All the time Tom, Nathan and Josh were coming around; checking how we were getting on, making gentle suggestions; explaining what would and wouldn't work.  We also started comparing each other's designs and it is amazing the variety of different options that you can come up with you start to look at this.

The setting was inspirational as well, with so many beautiful frames laid on every available surface we were never short of different designs to look at.  Even gazing around the skyline, though, you start to notice different elements from the architecture around and the colours of the city.  Could they be incorporated?  Why not.

When we were happy, Tom would review each individual design and if it was acceptable, it was photographed for e-mailing to his CAD designers to get new drawings made up.  All of this before lunch!  Amazing!

In the afternoon we worked with Tom on the next level of customisation available with the TD Tom Davies range - Couture.  With the Bespoke service we can make an adjustment of up to +/- 5mm on any measurement, with Couture we take it even further.  This opens up the possibility to complete re-design a frame for a customer.  To take the concepts of the morning's work of modifying CAD's and actually applying them for real.  By taking this next step we can be assured of an absolutely perfect fit when creating unique eyeglasses.  We take additional measurements of head dimensions and use a fitting set of frames to be sure that the nosebridge will fit perfectly.

Just as with the morning's exercise we will receive a CAD before production and have a software tool to use in office to modify the design as much as necessary while working with the design on picture.  This level of service ensures that at Ocean we are offering the very best eyewear options, bar none, so we are incredibly excited to be incorporating it into our office.

Buffalo Horn Plate

We also spent some time looking at the development of Tom's line of natural buffalo horn frames.  Buffalo horn is not a new material for eyewear, but there is definitely a growing interest in it.  Like many natural materials it is slightly unpredictable in its nature and has certain nuances or quirks which you have to respect when working with it and wearing it.

For all of these drawbacks, it is an incredible material - light, strong, comfortable and with wonderful colours.  Tom also has a wonderful take on it.  As with all his eyewear, the horn frames can be made to order, starting with the customer choosing the very two plates of horn which the frame will be cut out of - unbelievable!

It is amazing how the day passed, soon it was evening and our training day was over.  We had taken in so much information during the day and really covered so much ground, all of us were enthused with new ideas and a thoughts about how to share these with Ocean Optometry.  There's really not much more to add, the sun set, a few drinks were poured and we were reassured that by working with TD Tom Davies we were working in a relationship of mutual respect and friendship.


A few more thoughts from the day are best captured by pictures:

The finished CAD from Dr McG's design - looking forward to seeing him in this one!

The sun shining over the Hudson River

Prototypes and limited editions

The inspiring skyline

A special thanks to TD Tom Davies, Tom himself and Nathan for creating such an informative, enjoyable and fun day!