Eyetique’s Norman (l) and Brad Childs (r) acquired CO-OP Optical from Jay Minkin.

STOW, Ohio—Continuing its expansion into Ohio from its base in Pittsburgh, Pa., Eyetique acquired CO-OP Optical Eye Care Center, which has been operating here since it was founded by Robert Cohen, OD, 55 years ago. After Cohen retired about 20 years ago, the single location optical operation has been managed by his son-in-law, optician Jay Minkin, who is also now retiring. Terms of the deal, which closed on Monday, June 1, 2015, were undisclosed.

Situated in a high-traffic area, the large 4,000-square-foot freestanding location includes its own lab and will feature about 1,400 frames on display. The operation currently employs two optometrists and seven opticians. “A lot of the staff members are staying,” said Norman Childs, Eyetique’s founder and president. He explained that while the facility includes an in-house lab, most of the jobs will be sent to the company’s centralized lab in its new Pittsburgh headquarters, which the company purchased on Dec. 17, 2014, as reported by VMail.

Following the acquisition, the new owners will endeavor to maintain the culture of the existing optical operation while changing its name to Eyetique, according to Childs. “Over the next six months, we will change the interior of the store, and the exterior will have new signage, but it’s really about keeping the culture they had,” he said. “It’s been such a wonderful business for 55 years with a cultivated patient base. That didn’t happen overnight.”

With a firm foothold in the Pittsburgh region and this most recent addition of its second location in Ohio, Eyetique plans additional expansion in both areas. “This gives us our second location in Ohio, about 20 miles from our other store,” said Childs. “There will be more acquisitions in Ohio, and we’re also focusing on expanding in Pennsylvania.”