Though the official name—Medford Optical at
Waltham—is a bit weighty, there’s nothing heavy about
the design and execution of this whimsical dispensary
located within the walls of the ophthalmology department
at Children’s Hospital Boston at Waltham.
The dispensary, built from the ground up with a budget
of just $30,000 and outfitted with displays from Fashion
Optical, speaks directly to kids and their parents with
color, shapes and unique lighting. “Medford Optical has
long had a reputation for being the place for children’s
eyewear,” says owner Dana Cohen. “So when Children’s
Hospital opened up bidding for a new dispensary, it
felt like a good match.”
Just four months old, the new dispensary was
designed to maximize its 640 square feet of retail space.
Working in conjunction with the architect who
designed the hospital’s ophthalmology department and
Lori Estrada, designer for Fashion Optical, Cohen was able to
realize his dream of an efficient and enlightened space where
families and eyecare professionals can work together. “We wanted
to make it a good experience for the parents as well as the
child,” he explains. “And I think we’ve succeeded in giving them
that little something extra.”
When expressing his ideas to Fashion Optical, Cohen stressed
that he wanted displays that could be independently browsed by
children as young as four years old. He also wanted the dispensary
to support working with four to five families at one time. As a
result, displays were lowered to a kid’s eye level, and mirrors were
placed between each cabinet to create independent areas where
kids and their families can try on frames and work with an optician
more privately than if there was simply one large mirror for everyone
to share
.
“We also used a lot of color to appeal to children and create a
fun atmosphere,” adds Cohen. The dispensary entrance flows into
a semi-circle and moves in a left-to-right pattern. Cabinet edges
are rounded and a bright orange oval-shaped soffit in the center
of the room draws the eye up and extends the space. A bright
robin’s egg blue wall behind the desk, angles in to a green wall,
which bumps up to a yellow
wall. The frame displays were
all executed in different colors
and the dispensing desk is in
the shape of a half-moon.
The result of all this color and
light is an interior that appeals
to children, but isn’t so child-like
that adults are turned off or
turned away by the décor. “We
keep about 800 frames on display,”
says Cohen. “Six hundred
of those are pediatric, but at
least 200 are adult.” Brands
include Flexon by Nike, Fisher
Price by ClearVision, Coach,
Nine West and Silhouette.
Cohen credits Fashion Optical
with providing the guidance
and expertise to keep the project
on point and on time. “This is
the second store they’ve done for me and I cannot say enough good
things about them. They installed this dispensary in one day, from 6
a.m. to 6 p.m., and we were ready to go. It was a turnkey operation.”
And while this is the first time Children’s Hospital’s ophthalmology
department has had a dispensary on site, Cohen believes there is a
lot of growth potential here. “Word is just beginning to spread.”
August 2007
Frames