BRONX, N.Y.—After adding its fourth location in the Bronx at the end of 2014, Metro Optics has reached a level at which it can now take advantage of certain economies of scale. A new centralized lab in the back of the new location serves all four stores, with deliveries going out every couple of hours. Employees are cross-trained to not only take on different roles within the store in which they are based, but they are also moved from location to location to make sure they find their perfect fit. In addition, certain displays of product that prove to be successful in this new location will soon be implemented in Metro Optics’ other three existing stores.

“Born of optometry more than 36 years ago,” the company will always be focused on finding the “best Rx to put in your glasses,” said John Bonizio, president and owner with partner, Mike Ungaro. Metro Optics has a staff of 50 employees in its four stores with optometrists on staff every day providing examinations.

  Metro Optics’ John Bonizio wears his Google Glass during dba’s tour of the optical chain’s fourth location in the Bronx.
 
  The new location’s design encourages visitors to walk to the right upon entering the store.
 
  Metro Optics’ first location opened in the Parkchester section of the Bronx more than 36 years ago.
 
  Staff is an important focus at all four Metro Optics locations.
A Bronx Icon
Familiar and well established in the Bronx, Metro Optics has been in the area for decades, gradually growing from one store in the Parkchester section to four throughout the borough. The newest and largest location is near the base of the Throgs Neck Bridge across the street from a new golf course being developed by Donald Trump. Yes, a golf course is being built in the Bronx on landfill along New York’s East River.

Located near the birthplace of the hip-hop culture, it’s not surprising that among the top-selling frame brands at Metro Optics is Cazal eyewear, made famous by the founders of rap music in the early 1980s. In fact, on the day of dba’s visit, rap royalty Melle Mel arrived to pick up his newest pair of Cazal’s. (Another rap icon, Grandwizard Theodore, who was at the store’s ribbon-cutting in December 2014, is a fan of Gucci, which is Metro Optics’ number one bestseller.)

The Cazal display case, designed exclusively for Metro Optics by Bright Displays, stands prominently to the right of the entrance door, directly in line with the direction taken most commonly by people entering the new store.

“Most people turn to the right when they enter a store,” Bonizio told dba during his narrated tour of the new location. He pointed out the carpeting design that further reinforces that tendency to go to the right, leading visitors either through a “cacophony of eyewear” or to the center desk where they can be assisted by store personnel.

The optical portion of the shop is bigger than most at 2,500 square feet, Bonizio said, allowing for enough space to comfortably view the various sections throughout the floor. The addition of the support offices and lab located in the back brings the total size of the new space to 4,150 square feet.

 
In the “meat-and-potatoes” section, frames covered by insurance are displayed next to products for upselling, and showcases store back-up stock behind.  
 
Luxury eyewear lines, such as Cartier, Chanel and Prada, are a focal point. Backlit LED displays change color.  
 
With the launch of Metro Optics’ fourth location, electronic eyewear has become a specialty.  
 
Rap icon Melle Mel picked up his Cazal frames during dba’s visit.  
Growing With the Flow
The store’s layout and flow are all designed to educate visitors about available products and services while encouraging upselling.

The section of the store that Bonizio calls the “meat and potatoes” selection, also in the flow of traffic to the right of the entrance, features frames covered by specific insurance plans. These are all labeled A through H to make it easy for shoppers and opticians to determine which products are covered by which plans. “All insurance information is in the computer. Enter Teamsters, and every Teamsters union plan comes up,” said Bonizio. “Depending on a patient’s insurance plan, they might be able to afford A through D or A through H.”

To encourage shoppers to consider somewhat higher priced frames, immediately next to the basic insurance selection are frame lines such as Vogue, Kate Spade, Bebe, Armani, and others to tempt customers and assist opticians when upselling.

“This enables customers to see the sell-up frames and gives people choice,” said Bonizio.

This layout is a direct result of Bonizio’s first experience in a different Bronx optical store when he started out in the business as a teenager. At that time, opticians in that location generally placed the box holding frames covered by insurance plans directly over the display case, concealing from view the more expensive frames and discouraging patients from viewing them. This made it more difficult to upsell. Designing this location from the ground up allowed Bonizio the opportunity to place insurance frames side-by-side with higher priced frames. In addition, showcases in this area open up to reveal more back-up stock behind.

Continuing around the floor, Oakley and Ray-Ban displays from Luxottica encourage the sale of sunglasses in addition to frames with clear lenses. This is followed by a children’s section in the back corner. Bonizio explained that this is not just to attract children who need glasses. “Kids don’t come in alone; they come in with parents who buy,” he said.

Beyond that, the waiting room, referred to here as the “education room,” features a comfortable lounge area with educational videos provided by manufacturers and from Eyemaginations.

Luxury eyewear lines, such as Chanel and Cartier, are located to the left of the entrance. Although this is not the direction people usually take when entering the store, they are still drawn to the luxurious wooden cabinetry built by Gilbert Displays that serves as a focal point.

Surrounding the luxury eyewear cabinet are frame boards against a backlit LED wall of changing hues created by the husband-and-wife design team of Presenta Nova.

Specializing in Electronic Eyewear
Customers eventually end up in the back left corner in the section devoted to electronic eyewear, a specialty that Metro Optics has fully embraced in this new location and intends to expand to others.

Videos playing on the wall show recordings of others using the available electronic eyewear, such as popular singers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis showing the point-of-view perspective film they made using Epiphany Eyewear during one of their concerts. In addition to this and other brands such as Epson Moverio, Vuzix and Rochester Optical’s lenses for Google Glass, Metro Optics also offers other non-branded electronic eyewear lines the company sourced from China by attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

A computer is central to the electronic eyewear section because it enables shoppers to upload and view images they create using the many available products. Descriptions next to each e-eyewear product describe their specifications, such as whether they use Bluetooth, MP3, high-definition, and other capabilities

“While most eyewear caters to women, electronic eyewear is geared toward men,” said Bonizio. “Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone and a digital camera, so it’s not just techy Millennials who are the model customer. A lot of Boomers are interested too. The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.”

He plans to bring those electronic eyewear products that are successful here to Metro Optics’ other locations, and he is even considering creating a turnkey display to bring to other optical retailers. “By establishing ourselves as the authority of what’s new we automatically establish ourselves as eyewear experts,” he said. “Metro Optics is always at the forefront of what’s new, and today that means being at the forefront of electronic eyewear.”