By Victoria Garcia

dynamic dispensing

Who Art of Optiks

location Edina, Minn.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 3

WEBSITE artofoptiks.com

20/20 take
The Twin Cities host a place where
customers can find the perfect mixture
of luxury eyewear and advanced eyecare.

A major metropolitan area constructed around three different rivers, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are distinctive due to their close proximity and large populations. This Minnesota metropolis represents the only Twin Cities in the United States that still seem to differentiate themselves from one another. The capital city of Saint Paul is reminiscent of a charming European neighborhood with breathtaking architecture, while the more populous city of Minneapolis emits a more modern feel with skyscrapers. More like fraternal twins, these two cities have their differences but have one particular similarity: Art of Optiks.

Within the Twin Cities, you will find not one, but two Art of Optiks locations. The first location opened in 2001 in Wayzata and is celebrating its 15-year anniversary, whereas the second location in Edina opened just this year. Owned by husband and wife team Stephanie Haenes, ABOC, and Timothy Haupert, OD, Art of Optiks expertly combines the luxury eyewear sector and eyecare technology to create a practice that prides itself on outstanding customer service. The two met while working at a large eyewear corporation over 20 years ago and then for a luxury retailer in the Twin Cities. Around this time, the couple decided to embark on their own path and open a few stores of their own. “We kind of just did our best back then to be cutting edge and have things that other people didn’t have,” says Haenes. “That’s really how it came about. I would say our core values and our core brand has always been providing people with that seamless luxury and advanced experience.” Years later, both Haenes and Haupert are still attentive to these core values and are focused on separating themselves from their competitors. “We love what we do. My husband is one of the doctors at our practice, and we have a very technologically advanced eyecare practice,” says Haenes. “Combining that with the handmade luxury eyewear, it’s a really good match. We love being able to have that whole patient experience where they’re really being taken care of from a medical standpoint and from a fashion standpoint. That’s kind of a unique take on how to have a practice. It combines very well together.”

Haenes originally began in the eyewear business right out of college where she found herself immediately enamored with the industry. “I kind of fell in love with it,” she says. “Not even kind of. I did. I loved helping people, and I love everything that goes into making a pair of glasses, how to make people’s optics better, coatings and all of that.” Although she did not begin in the luxury eyewear segment, Haenes eventually fell in love with the uniqueness and heritage that goes along with Independent Eyewear. “I love the stories about the eyewear,” she says. “It’s just fascinating to me, the creative process that goes into some of these brands and really learning about handcrafted frames and their prominence.”

Both Haenes and her husband always had a plan to own multiple locations. After the success of the Wayzata location and a perfect space becoming available, they knew it was time to start on their second location. “There were a couple of areas in the Twin Cities that really don’t have any sort of optical like we do but definitely could support it,” says Haenes. Although congruent with the same values, the new Edina location takes on a less is more approach exuding a gallery-like feel to it. With clean lines and less stock on the floor and shelves, this location allows customers to see the individual design and the black, cream and gray color scheme of the store while showing off the eyewear. The artwork on the walls creates a warm environment, which is emphasized with several mid-tone wood and walnut displays and durable dispensing tables. The Edina dispensary consists of over 500 frames which only includes luxury, handmade or independent product with some of the most popular brands being Blake Kuwahara, Barton Perreira and Bevel Specs. Frames are organized by brand to make things easier for opticians. “We have one of each of the collections that we have out on the shelves, then we have some understock of other colors,” says Haenes.

Each Art of Optiks location strictly and purposefully sells independent designers. Haenes believes that supporting small local businesses is essential, especially when it sets her apart from other retailers. “We are a small local business, and I feel as a small local business we should be supporting other independent people,” says Haenes. “I think it’s really important to support these independent luxury eyewear designers. What these people are doing, the story they are telling and the craftsmanship that goes into this product is unbelievable.” According to Haenes, the Twin Cities has done a great job in developing several luxury eyewear stores that have created a large market for this type of product. There is a customer base to support these shops, and many customers in this area understand the concept behind exclusive handmade product versus mass-produced product, which makes the message and core concepts of Art of Optiks easier to explain. “What we do as far as the luxury eyewear selection in our store is very different than what anyone else in the Twin Cities is doing,” says Haenes. “There’s nobody else that’s doing solid gold frames or some of the buffalo horn products that we offer. There’s a lot of luxury but then we’ve stepped it up to another level with what we provide.”

Another way for customers to discover new and exciting products from Art of Optiks is through various events. In the past, Haenes hosted many trunk shows for her customers, but found it was better to step outside the box and have customers and eyewear enthusiasts meet the designers themselves. “Last year, we had Blake Kuwahara come in the summer; we threw a huge party and he was there in the evening for our customers,” says Haenes. “It was incredibly well received, and the customers being able to meet designers is such a great experience for them.” With a focus on three to four events a year, Haenes plans on doing more events similar to these in the future. More plans for the future also include a continuance on the store’s social media presence. To coincide with the sleekness and new style of the Edina store, Haenes wanted to complement this look and feel within their social media feeds and websites. For the past year, Lou Fullagar has been the man behind the updated social media posts and image of Art of Optiks. Fullagar also works with many luxury optical stores on their social media feeds across various platforms and handles branding for independent companies such as Bevel Specs and Blake Kuwahara. “Basically I coordinate all their social media across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,” says Fullagar. “I also work with Stephanie on e-mail promotions, sales and events in her store and other things as well.” With a long history in the optical industry, Fullagar started the Luxury Eyewear Forum on Facebook, where retailers and opticians alike can discuss the small but important luxury sector. Within the luxury sector, the popularity and use of social media was a bit on the slower side. “I think the luxury industry is delayed a little bit probably because it’s very specific. If you go to 10 out of 20 opticians’ or optometrists’ websites, they either don’t have one or it’s pretty plain. A lot of people just don’t know what to do especially if you are a small one-person or five-person operation; often you don’t have the resources.” The luxury and artistic vibe that both Art of Optiks locations emit are found throughout the website and social media feeds, bringing together the entire core values and goals of the business.

With the already flourishing Edina location recently opening and a major remodeling in the Wayzata location, Haenes certainly has her hands full with new and exciting prospects. Her love for eyewear and the industry only seems to intensify as the years go on. The impeccable combination of luxury eyewear and eyecare service has been an important factor in the success of Art of Optiks. “We’re fortunate because my background is luxury eyewear and obviously my husband is an eye doctor, and he’s always been interested in disease management and having the best and the newest technology,” says Haenes. “So it’s been great. He kind of does his thing and I do mine.” We could call it, the perfect combination. ■

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