A Resource for Small Businesses Includes the Helpful 'What Is'

By Staff
Thursday, March 28, 2019 10:41 AM NAPLES, Fla.—In addition to reading such helpful optical industry publications and websites as Vision Monday, 20/20, Review of Optometric Business and Women In Optometry to keep up with business trends, developments and ideas...sometimes small business owners can be spurred on to action and learn from those who run local businesses in other fields. One such site is Small Business Trends, an online publication for small biz owners and entrepreneurs. With hundreds of expert contributors, Small Business Trends offers a range of tools and resources.

Bright Eyes Vision Spreads Positivity Through Social

By Staff
Thursday, March 28, 2019 10:22 AM Bright Eyes Vision located in Hartsville, Pennsylvania boasts professional eyecare, stylish eyewear. Along with this, their inspirational Instagram posts definitely do their job of spreading all of the good vibes.

British Independents Follow #StorefrontCollective on Instagram

By Staff
Thursday, March 28, 2019 10:06 AM LIVERPOOL, England—Ideas for design and presentation can be sparked among all independents, who can adapt these to their own retail category. @StorefrontCollective is an Instagram page curated by traveller @lewisombler for a social media agency called Valentia Social Media. Full of rich images of restaurants, pubs, flower and clothing shops, #StorefrontCollective is a collective of storefronts and facades. Its posts provide inspiration for signage and window displays, entryways and doors from shops throughout the United Kingdom. Ombler manages the page, with his team, clients and other social media channels on a nonstop daily basis.

Distinct Viewpoints Characterize Each of the 2019 OPTImum Independent Retailers

By Staff
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 12:43 PM NEW YORK—Vision Expo once again celebrated independent boutique retailers, by allowing them to showcase their products, stores, visions and stories to the optical industry. Dozens of retailers submitted entries but the group was narrowed down to five finalists. Announced at last week's Vision Expo East, it was Edward Beiner, based in South Miami, Fla. who was selected as the 2019 OPTImum Retail Award winner. But even as Beiner accepted his honor and acknowledged in his remarks, each of the other finalists represent very distinct visions of curated collections, special store environments and unique messaging to consumers with a high dose of personal expertise and service that are hard to match.

Professional VisionCare Helps Community ‘Band Together’ to Give Back

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 1:05 PM LEWIS CENTER, Ohio—For the team at Professional VisionCare, getting involved with the local community is written in their DNA. It’s something every employee carries close to their heart, as well as something this independent practice’s management is wholly committed to. Professional VisionCare is an independent practice in Ohio with four locations. Practice director Raquel Miller explained that, each year, they virtually survey all staff, crowdsourcing ideas for local involvement events that “serve our community.” This allows Professional VisionCare staff to give a platform to causes close to their heart, and gives the whole practice a multitude of causes to choose from for their major events each year.

TAVAT Line Finds Inspiration in Old-Fashioned Soup Cans

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 12:48 PM For creatives, inspiration can strike anytime and anywhere. Sometimes, it seems like the most curious things spark incredible ideas—be it a strange looking branch, a beautiful line in a song or a touching moment with a family member. For independent eyewear brand TAVAT, design inspiration comes from the iconic shape of a soup can. TAVAT’s SoupCan collection came to life when the company’s designer, Norm Schureman, visited a friend in Arizona. According to TAVAT’s website, it was a poster from the 1930s that sparked the idea.

From Across the Pond: Ideas for Display & Design

By Marge Axelrad
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 12:15 PM NEW YORK—Independent retailers are looking more than ever to differentiate themselves from big box and mass market stores. Ideas for merchandising and presenting product, store layout and colors can come from many sources. One unique example we recently came across is Design4Retail a retail design agency based in the U.K. Blending concepts for store design, product display, signage and innovative corners and campaigns, the agency’s website is a fount of ideas. By looking at what their clients’ brands and retailers are doing in categories as wide-ranging as beauty and cosmetics, or apparel and accessories, eyewear retailers and smaller optical dispensaries and boutiques can glean a range of adaptable tips and tactics.

Newcastle Upon Tyne's Grey Street Opticians Offers Standout Service

By Staff
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 12:10 PM Independent optician and frame stylist Grey St. Optician is located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and focuses on high quality eyewear. Motivated by the lack of choice in the U.K. market, this independent offers expert fittings and standout designs.

Postponing Relocation for a Decade Proves to be Smart Move

By Staff
Friday, March 8, 2019 12:41 PM This story original appeared in Women in Optometry.

Jewell Ginter, OD, is no stranger to remodels, renovations and relocations for Ginter Eyecare Center in Lubbock, Texas. “Our old office was well-used,” she said of her second office location. That space went through four remodels and expansions in the years since she moved there with her five employees in 1997 from her original location in a mall, which opened in 1982. Early this year, Dr. Ginter and the team—now four full-time doctors and 20 staff members—moved five blocks away on the same street to a new, expansive location. “We actually purchased the vacant land 12 years ago with the intent of constructing the building to move our practice with also extra space for leasing,” Dr. Ginter explained. Read More.

Can Bad Reviews Be Deleted? Should They?

By CLICK Staff
Thursday, March 7, 2019 10:09 AM NEW YORK—Are you haunted by old reviews, especially bad ones? EyeCarePro reports that many clients ask if and how they can be deleted and what else can be done to reduce the negative impact these reviews have on their reputation. Here's what you can and can't do when it comes to deleting Google Reviews.

[Partner Post] A Guide to Making More Money on Claim Reimbursements

By CLICK Staff
Thursday, February 28, 2019 11:48 AM A growing practice, seasonal spikes or a large number of rejections can cause your practice's insurance claims to pile up. With online retailers cutting into your optical dispensary profits, your practice relies heavily on revenue generated from medical and vision insurance claims.

February Is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month

By Stephanie Sengwe
Thursday, February 14, 2019 3:31 PM With Valentine’s Day right in the middle of the month, February is, of course, known as the month of love and while there’s sure to be a perfect pair of frames for your loved one at your local eyecare practice, many practitioners are creating awareness for a different cause on social media. This month, ECPs are urging patients to show their eyes a little more love by drawing attention to the fact that February is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) awareness month.

Ringing in the New Year With a Little Nostalgia

By Stephanie Sengwe
Friday, January 4, 2019 3:57 PM The end of the year always seems to bring an atmosphere of reflection with it. We tend to look back on what we could have done better, what we wish we would have done and above all what we’ve learned and how those lessons can usher us into the coming year. On social media, people use the end of the year as an opportunity to connect a bit more by sharing personal anecdotes. From sharing highlights and regrets from the past year, New Year’s resolutions and even baby announcements, the New Year gives people reason to get a bit more nostalgic and sentimental on social media than usual.

ECPs Promote Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

By Stephanie Sengwe

Friday, November 16, 2018 11:47 AM November is Diabetes Eye Health Month and according to a recent Prevent Blindness study, Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems, more than 8.1 million Americans suffer from diabetic retinopathy. This projected total will increase to 10.9 million by 2032, and 13.2 million by 2050, the study said. Diabetic retinopathy patients are on average of 66 years old, which is the youngest of all the leading eye diseases including cataracts, glaucoma and age related macular degeneration.

Nicole Nguyen’s ‘Eye Scribbles’—a Therapeutic Hobby That Turned Into a Business

By Stephanie Sengwe
Monday, November 12, 2018 12:30 AM Chantilly, Va.—Nicole Nguyen, OD, has been a fulltime practitioner in the northern Virginia area for a little over a year now and her time as a full-time optometrist at MyEyeDr. in Chantilly, Va. inspired her to create Eye Scribbles, an Etsy shop that features eye-related artwork tailored for fellow doctors and lovers of all things eyewear.