NEW YORK—Online sunglasses retailer, The Monocle Order has just launched its first sunglasses vending machine at the Hotel Williamsburg in Brooklyn. With prices ranging from $50 to $200, the vending machine is operated with a credit card and features six different brands.

“They were interested in having us produce a credit-card-operated vending machine because they have a pool and a lot of people asking them for sunglasses,” Alex van Klavaren, The Monocle Order’s CEO and founder, told VMail. The company plans to also expand into other areas of New York City as well as into Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, “areas that fit in with the brand and client base that we have,” said van Klavaren. “We’re in formal discussions with lots of other hotel groups who’ve expressed interest.”

For about a year now, The Monocle Order has been selling plano sunglasses from its website, which it describes as “an online members club for sunglass lovers.” After buying the first pair, members pay 50 percent for each subsequent purchase, up to 12 per year. There are currently about 2,000 members. The company also maintains a showroom in Manhattan, where it sells plano and prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, by appointment only. “We find it’s a more personal and tailored experience,” said van Klavaren.

About the sunglass vending machine, he added, “This is a test. We wanted to see how people reacted to the machine, how the venues like it, how the price points work. It’s a serious opportunity as a new point of sale. As a relatively small company, we need to find avenues to get to the customer that don’t involve us having a national sales force.”