Posted on September 10, 2019
Edward Beiner Vision Request
Edward Beiner is eyeing me closely at his South Miami store. โRound face, expressive cheekbones,โ he murmurs to himself. โYouโre nearsighted, which means the lenses will make your eyes look slightly smaller than how they are now.โ After a few inquisitive nods, he announces his verdict: square frames and an extra coat of mascara. โTortoise shell and black are safe, everybody goes for that, but South Florida is a sunny and wild place,โ he says as he picks up a glamorous pair of white frames, which he recommends for their pizazz. I canโt deny that his one-minute computation is more accurate and seamless than the quizzes and virtual try-on booths of the affordable online retailers Iโve resorted to in the past.
Thatโs because Edward Beiner has always had a vision. โI knew intuitively that Eyewear wasnโt just a medical device,โ he says. โGlasses are jewelry for the face.โ The sentiment might seem unremarkable in 2019, but when Beiner opened his first store in South Miami in 1981, glasses were considered a nerdโs accessory. At 24 years old, he set out to change the โfour eyesโ stereotype by elevating the Eyewear experience to that of a luxury retailer (think coffee served during fittings). โItโs like jewelry, so you want it,โ he says, โbut it lets you see, so you need it.โ
Hindsight is always 20/20, but Beinerโs formula worked. Thirty-eight years and 11 stores later, heโs carved a coveted niche for himself. With fashion-forward options that even include a fleet of 3D-printed frames of Beinerโs own design, the founder and CEO has managed to keep his company relevant not only in the big-box era of For Eyes and Visionworks, but even today with budget-friendly brands Warby Parker and Zenni Optical. Beiner, whose glasses are a favorite among celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and have been featured on โThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,โ plans to open a new store in Miamiโs Coconut Grove next year. โIโm a small business and Iโve got big competition,โ he says. โItโs always a battle to stay on top, and staying a step ahead is a must for us.โ
Beiner grew up in Santos, Brazil, a coastal city outside Sao Paulo. His father was a watchmaker turned jeweler whose elegant craftsmanship inspired Beinerโs own. Even though Beiner didnโt need a prescription, he was attracted to Eyewearโand his intuition was to reshape the field. He worked at For Eyes in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and asked to be transferred to the U.S. for more opportunity. He settled in South Florida because it reminded him of his native Brazil. โItโs green, it has the blue sky, the beach, the heat,โ he says. โThe tropics are familiar.โ
When Beiner opened his first shop, it was hard to lure customers in. But he regularly traveled to Milan and Paris, stocking his store with designs that no one else had on this side of the Atlantic. Slowly, one customer at a time and through word of mouth, his business grew. He began opening more storesโincluding one beside the former Versace Mansion in the early โ90s that has since closed. โWeโd keep the store open all night,โ Beiner says, โand go for a walk in the morning.โ He was also one of the first retailers to partner with and elevate Eyewear brands such as Barton Perreira and Salt.
Every year, Beiner donates frames to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, considered the top eye hospital in the country, and regularly donates to schools and organizations including the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, a nonprofit for people living with vision loss.
Most recently, his company competed against more than 50 national and international brands for Vision Expoโs second annual OPTImum Retail Award, which honors independent boutique retailers, and was selected as the winner by top industry executives.
Most recently, his company competed against more than 50 national and international brands for Vision Expoโs second annual OPTImum Retail Award, which honors independent boutique retailers, and was selected as the winner by top industry executives.
Originally posted on: https://www.veniceftldigital.com/t/109108-venice