Now and then: Above, Erker's Optical in St. Louis at the turn of the century. Below, Erker's optical shop in a mall, late '90s.

Looking back over the past hundred years, we see dramatic change in retail store design and visual merchandising, once apart from but now an integral part of the total retail environment.

What has had the most profound affect on optical retail store design and visual merchandising during this innovative century? According to Dr. Stanley Pearle, founder of Pearle Vision, there were two significant changes: "First, the optical business became a style business." Retailers becoming aware of the need to present stylish eyewear in a stylish environment lead to the next change noted by Dr. Pearle: "Secondly, years ago, there was very little business to be made by the display industry. There was not enough interest. Today, there are many people in the business of making beautiful frame boards and stylish furniture. The difference is like night and day!"

This and other dramatic differences have been slow in coming. Jan Ennis, head of Ennco Display says, "One hundred years ago, glasses were still being sold out of the back of wagons by peddlers." This colorful statement paints a picture of powerful differences between then (old-fashioned) and now (sophisticated and retail-savvy).

Yet, looking back through the century also suggests that what goes around, comes around. That is, there is a periodic revisiting and revision of ideas, re-packaged and given a timely twist.

1900-1920

At the turn of the century, the country was enjoying richness and opulence. Optical shops, like Erker Optical in St. Louis, 120 years old in 1999, were "selling anything and everything having to do with lenses," according to company head Jack Erker.

Its downtown St. Louis optical shop was a small, select store catering to upscale shoppers who appreciated its jewelry-store like interior. Mahogany furniture rested on flooring of tiny octagonal ceramic tile, considered innovative for the time since most retail stores had wood floors and a drygoods store ambience. Like jewelry, eyeglass frames were contained in drawers or glass-topped mahogany cabinets.

C.H. Heard, O.D. works at Heard Opticians, in the early 1900s. The shop was the predecessor of today's Heard Optical.

In terms of locations, eyeglass-selling carts were still common in the early 1900s, as was eyewear sold by jewelers. By the late teens, however, there was already a roaring debate as to whether street level opticals or second floor locations were preferable.

Outside of optical, mass retailing was born with Woolworth, which by 1919 had grown to 1,081 stores. Its phenomenal growth firmly established the chain store as a great source for working class shoppers. With no trappings of luxury, they looked to large signage on the store front to establish identity-considered to be the origin of establishing retailer identity. The same held true for optical store fronts where a large eyeglass cut-out or sign often dominated the outside of locations.

In terms of design movements, Gustaf Stickley began a style reform that stressed clean-line design and honest materials. This movement eventually cooled, only to be revived in the eco-loving 1990s where it was incorporated into such theme decor as the lodge and southwestern look seen in optical and other retail businesses.

During this same time period, architect Frank Lloyd Wright set the stage for a new organic, contemporary American architecture. And, he designed furniture to match-a move that would reappear in store designs, especially chains seeking a distinct design identity.

1920s

A photograph of the office of an O.D., typical of the era, shows a few eyeglass frames pinned on black cloth covered panels. Considered a medical device, eyewear was not merchandised. Office interiors were mainly simple and unshowy. But Louis Cartier opened his famed jewelry shop for society's creme de la creme. Later famous as the creator of extraordinary folding travel half-glasses for the Duchess of Windsor, the Cartier shop was a benchmark reference for optical cum jewelry shops.

1930s

One might not expect design achievements during an economic depression, but they happened. Frank Lloyd Wright, 67 years old with a failing business, created "Falling Water," his masterpiece. Art Deco became the rage. And, Macy's flagship store celebrated a vast open space with high visibility and handsome cabinetry, providing design direction for decades to come.

There's little to indicate that optical retail shop design participated to any great degree in these major design movements. But without a doubt, this period prepared everyone, including the optical industry, for the design-conscious periods to follow.

1940s

The typical eye doctor's office displayed no eyewear. Frames were kept out of sight, in drawers. However, suppliers like Bausch & Lomb did create frame display 'books' that could be kept on shelves, taken down, and unfolded to show patients the frames.

"In the '40s, it was still common to have eyewear in jewelry stores," says Dr. Pearle, who began his optical career in a jewelry store. The late '40s saw the beginning of America's first optical retail chains as opticians, who had learned to efficiently turn out eyewear for American soldiers, saw that they could translate that knowledge into efficient retail businesses.

Elegance without pretension became a demonstrable design concept and was embraced by the new optical chains. Even relatively inexpensive optical stores could possess the look, thanks to luan, an inexpensive wood paneling, and sheetrock or gypsum board, a drywall, that replaced more expensive plaster or wetwall and sent the nation on a postwar building spree and remodeling orgy.

1950s

In the '50s, there were Lee, TSO, and Royal Optical chains, all looking for designs that would provide instant visual recognition, company image, and efficient traffic flow. But this was mostly a do-it-yourself operation, since there were few design sources available.

In fact, retail store design was actually looked down on by architects. All, that is, but Morris Lapidus, whose curvy romantic modern look was scorned by his fellow purists but wildly embraced by Miami Beach hoteliers. His retail innovations are countless-enlarging the windows and doors, slanting windows inwards toward the entry to pull traffic in, mirroring and lighting backs of store interiors with megawatts to attract customers. No wonder he became known as the Father of Retail Store Design.

The chain store would eventually have a powerful effect on the entire optical industry, but the shopping center, an American invention, is considered the most significant postwar retailing innovation. Wider access doors appeared. Windows were replaced with all-glass window walls. New easy-flow store layouts pulled customers in, maneuvered them around, and gently held them hostage, increasing the average time spent in-store. Bold signage inside and out became de rigueur. The malling of America had begun. It was only a matter of time before optical retailers would move to the mall, America's new main street.

1960s

In the "psychedelic '60s," radical individualism reigned. In 1961, Dr. Pearle created Pearle Vision where patient/customer education and information was a design concern. For a very visible solution, he says, "We mounted light boxes on the wall. And, since there were still few design and display firms, we did it ourselves."

The '60s saw an explosion of strong, powerful color in art and in combinations that screamed for attention; but when it came to interiors, beige reigned. Inexpensive wall-to-wall "commercial" carpeting that could be cheaply glued down, available in a plethora of colors, made it quick and easy to re-do a tired floor. Retail store design and visual merchandising had changed. Really changed. And, there was no going back.

1970s

Eyecare practices established in the '70s often featured the two-door design that provided the then-mandated separate entrances for professional services and the retail dispensary.

How to signal professionalism in one area, and move to a more "retail" mood in an adjoining space? Use the same or compatible neutral backgrounds in both, with more intense accent colors in the retail space. Add high-volume accent colors that could be inexpensively changed. Or flip-flop negative (dark) and positive (light) colors, using the dark color in one area and the light color in the other.

What had happened to bring about this drastic change? "The flower children were heard from and catered to," points out Beverly Russell, editor-in-chief of Interiors Magazine. The result? "Warehouse retail emporiums, lighting effects, hi-tech, and plastics, she says. "A renewed interest in handcrafted items in stained and etched glass, finely carved wood, and wrought iron." And, who can forget the exposed brick walls and natural oak floors?

Russell points out other retail changes as well. Because some 70 percent of the merchandise in store could be seen in any other, presentation of product became crucial and design vital. And, as warehouse stores swept the country, customers could be instantly gratified. This lead to one-hour eyewear, with enlarged seating areas and chairs designed to make the wait comfortable.

Customers wanted to feel special. This created a demand for diverse product and unique retail environments. Little wonder that eyewear retailers began to increase their inventories of shapes, colors and materials, calling for more display space and more inventive ways to display frames. Lighting of frames became more important. Fitting tables, mirrors, and chairs became more elegant and interesting.

With comfort a number one priority, retail shops needed new signage and a means of educating consumers to advantages and benefits of new technology. Sunbelt areas in the U.S. grew twice as fast as other areas, placing a new focus on Southwestern styles. This helped lead to the creation of special sunglass boutiques and departments.

Lifestyle became a buzzword, and eyeglasses created for sports, work, and play now needed their own in-store spaces, signage, and props.

1980s

Stronger color, popular in the art world since the '60s, made its way into optical interiors in the '80s, along with bigger chains and that show of shows, the super optical. These stores, ranging up to 20,000 square feet, were the be all and end all of optical. Some opened only to close. Others opened, lingered, then shrunk in the late '80s to a more manageable 5,000-7,000 square feet.

Optical shops experimented with eye-catching interior designs created to capture the attention of the "Me Generation" with its emphasis on individualism and ready cash. This new shopper demanded ever more enticing and eventful shopping experiences, and optical shops responded.

Traditional design became the style of choice. Older, elegant materials like marble and granite appeared. Country style also swept the country. One result was a whole lot of greenery faux and real) in optical stores.

Eyewear design became increasingly detail-conscious and pricier, demanding environments to match. And, by this time, a number of highly professional design firms were catering to optical retailing. The power bar on eyewear corresponded to a wide interest in power, and shopping became entertaining for the generation known as Yuppies.

1990s

The information age of the '90s witnessed an avalanche of interior and design information. Martha Stewart, PCs, the Internet. The question facing optical design firms became whether the Net would replace brick-and-mortar stores.

Enlightened, issue-oriented designers met clients with exhaustive check lists regarding form meeting function, personal style, accessibility, traffic flow, lighting, and security.

As the late-'80s/early-'90s recession continued, people lost jobs and the future dimmed; with that, retail design became more tightly focused on creating an environment in sync with marketing targets. Enter niche marketing and design by the numbers-demographics mattered. Trying to be all things to all people did not.

Windows went to work, and window display became less an intuitive art form than a clear-eyed, hard-headed science. Simon Doonan, former senior vice president of display at Barney's New York said that the '90s could be summed up in one word: "If there was a trend in display, it was product, product, product!"

Looking not just at the '90s but back through the entire century, there seems one maxim that has remained true throughout: That which goes around, comes around... and around yet again! But there's also one other truism about the century: New designs have been as different from the old versions as night is from day. EB