23 Aug Europe – The Final Countdown (1986)
I think this is the longest we’ve gone without an update. Shame on me! It’s been a whirlwind ofa month but I am glad to say we are (mostly) on track and will be opening this coming Monday come hell or high water. We’ve been done with construction for a week or so now and are down to polishing the final details. Unfortunately it’s the final details that really take the most time as we begin moving forward and changing the space from a construction site to a doctor’s office. With any new construction there is an insane amount of dust – so it feels like every other day in Phoenix in here. We are diligently working to bring and maintain a level of sterility beyond what one finds in their average carpeted waiting room of the sniffle and sneeze covered fabric furniture (maybe that’s where the smell comes from?).
We have hired our entire staff and we are into the second week of training. Having done this for years I tend to forget that what I think is common knowledge – isn’t. With a wonderful plan laid out in conjunction with our fantastic consultants, training has been going smoothly. There are many facets required to run a practice successfully and nothing beats the hands on training that will occur once we open our doors for our soft openings. We can teach how to use the computer software, how to interact with patients, all about ocular anatomy and physiology, etc. but until YOU walk through the door – its just practice. I will apologize right now for our lack of initial appointments as we are spacing them out in a way that allows us attentively work with each patient to provide a great experience, as well as stop and correct any issues which may arise in the early stages.
I was having a great time working with all our current frame vendors to bring you our initial offering of various collections. Currently we have about 70% of what we will call our final inventory. Once we see what moves and what doesn’t we will stock more of what our patients are interested in. I am proud to say that of all 10 brands, only 2 can be found elsewhere in AZ. We are the exclusive retailer of almost all the frame lines we carry currently. We have also worked diligently to provide 2 great deals for those without insurance. $150 Vernon Gantry single vision polycarbonate with antireflective coating out the door. $175 Classic Specs with single vision polycarbonate and anti-reflective out the door. Why purchase online where even if you get a good deal on frames you’re likely getting a terribly low quality lens. We’ll fit, adjust, clean, fix, warranty, etc. frames purchased from us. We also won’t pretend that single vision plastic lenses cost $200. WARNING: Plastic (CR-39) shatters when struck – It is absolutely not to be given to minors should be avoided in lieu of safer materials. Beware when purchasing online.
We had a small get-together at the shop last week to show our closest friends and family what all the fuss is about. Sitting here at our reception desk typing this is the culmination of years of dreaming – 1.5 years of planning – 4 months of construction – innumerable 3am/ceiling staring/night sweating/heart pounding moments. I was beyond excited to show my parents the final product of all this craziness and every more excited that they loved it. A similar sentiment was shared by all who took the time to visit, check out some sweet frames, and have a drink.
On that note, I am bursting with excitement and can’t wait to unveil the whole office to the public. We will begin seeing patients on August 28th with a reduced schedule. Appointments can be made now over the phone/ text at (602) 288 7227 or requested online. Once our computer system is fully up and running you will be able to completely schedule directly through the website. Why compromise for eye care? Come check out the only office in Phoenix with a hospital residency trained optometrist AND completely independent and eclectic eyewear!
