‘Eyewear By Olga’ is a luxury eyewear retailer, or – as the owner likes to call it – an ‘EYE PAD’ founded in 2011 by optician, designer and fashion enthusiast Olga Trentin. The ‘PAD’ is located in the centre of Mississauga, Canada in the neighbourhood of Port Credit. The interior of the store itself is a feast for the eyes; packed with colour, exploding with textiles and featuring artisanal furnishings throughout. The shop first appeared on Eyestylist in October 2011.
We would love it if you could give us a short synopsis of the story / journey behind ‘Eyewear by Olga’…It’s such a funny story actually; I went to visit a friend in an optical store that I frequently shopped at, but my friend was busy serving a client. So, I picked up a frame that caught my eye and handed it to her client swiftly leaving the store afterwards so that I wouldn’t be intruding. Later, my friend told me that her client had purchased the frame I picked for her – and so, I was offered a job at her company as a frame stylist. I loved this job so much that I eventually became an optician and later on, a manager. I was able to learn a lot about the business and realized how much more I had to offer the optical industry. That’s when I decided to go on my own by opening my very own ‘EYE PAD’.
I took a pen and paper and started sketching the ‘PAD’; ribbons on the ceilings was the first idea that came to mind – ribbons are known to fill a space with lots of cheer – I felt that I had to add them to the design. I didn’t want a typical retail look, but something different and yet, timeless. I also didn’t want a cold and clinical office feel, so the ribbons also added that soft element to the design. I then mainly picked warm colours but added a pop of colour with our back wall and chairs. I felt that the chairs in particular had to be unique and so – after doing some research – we found the perfect choice: ‘The Eye Chair’ by Jackie Choi – it was originally a college project of hers that was presented all over Britain from BBC to Harrods and so it became one of my favourite elements to the ‘PAD’. The design feature was a low backrest to support runback for ergonomic reasons but as well as that it makes a strong visual statement; it looks like a hollow eye when viewed head on, they are quite the conversation starter. Our display cases feature a light coloured onyx to bring a certain warmth and a natural feel we wanted to implement, this is also why you won’t find any bright lights in our ‘PAD’ – we want our clients to have a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.
What have been the biggest struggles you and your store have faced through COVID-19? The element of the unknown regarding COVID-19 really frightened us; we closed our store for about three months in order to keep everyone safe. We quickly realized that our industry really was essential because clients were still in need of our services and so we had to find a way to make it work for everyone while being as safe as possible. It was a little bit of a struggle at first, but we managed to make it work; we would order contact lenses online and have them directly delivered to our clients, we would pre-order eyeglass lenses online and have clients do a door drop off with their frames to prevent any contact. When we finally started to open our doors for appointments, we took one client at a time, each customer had a mandatory COVID-19 questionnaire to be filled out, and temperatures were taken at the door. We also disinfected each frame that was tried/touched and disinfected all surfaces between appointments, floors were washed daily as well. Then of course masks were mandatory for everyone and our staff were double masked with shields worn on top too. I think most people understood why we did all of this and felt safe coming in to see us. We all had to work together and we continue to do so to make this strange and scary environment feel as safe as possible for us all.
What are your favourite frames from your current collection and why are they your favourite? Oh wow, so many to choose from! If I had to choose one, I’d say my favourite frame in my current collection is the ‘Dita – Revoir’. It was originally released as a sunglass and is now offered as an ophthalmic. It is such an elegant bridgeless cat-eye and as the ‘Dita’ website describes it “spans the brow to resemble wings extended in flight”. I love the space between the wing point and the lens as it gives it some edge while keeping its elegance overall. (more…)
