This is a first in a series of columns chronicling Eyecare Business editor Erinn Morgan's cross-country journey. Along the way, she interviews optical shops and researches business markets from coast to coast. This month, she stops at an optical shop in South Lake Tahoe.

The back room of optician Tom Deputy's shop, Reflections Eyewear, is filled with windows that look out onto the sandy shore and crystalline waters of Lake Tahoe. A backdrop of mountains jutting out of this virtual ocean completes the early fall picture of boaters, fisherman, and sunbathers.

In the storefront, Deputy works with a customer who is picking up a new pair of prescription eyewear, complete with photochromic lenses. She steps into the sunlight outside and quickly returns with darkened spectacles. Undeniably pleased, this customer is likely the model of what Deputy strives for.

	The only optical shop in the 70-mile Lake Tahoe area, Reflections Eyewear features a blend of low-end to high-end eyewear that appeals to locals and tourists

"Eighty percent of our customer base is local," says Deputy. The rest are tourists who frequent Tahoe. "It took a lot of time to build that up. I am the only optician in the area. We are not booming here, but we do crank once in a while because I've put so many years into it. If I ever decided to sell the business, it would be great for the person coming in because I have built up a strong customer base."

Along the 70-mile Lake Tahoe coastline, which includes Tahoe City, Incline Village, King's Beach, and South Lake Tahoe, Reflections is, amazingly, the only optical shop. "We do, however, compete against Costco and Wal-Mart in Carson City. People will run down there to save money," says Deputy.

Before heading West, Deputy ran three shops under his own name in the Philadelphia area for many years. How did he end up across the country? After a visit inspired the move, he opened up a small optical location in 1976 and in 1985 he purchased his current shop.

Being located in an area known for seasonal tourism has its ups and downs, he says. Summers and winters bring lots of visitors and spikes in business for local retailers. The "shoulder seasons" of fall and spring are much slower. "Summer business doesn't kick here until July," he notes. "That runs through mid-October when Indian summer often ends abruptly and winter begins. Business here is very volatile due to the varying tourist seasons."

Like the seasons, Reflections' customer base is also diverse. "I cater to low-end customers up to platinum card holders," he says. His breakdown: The high-end is about 10 percent of his business, while approximately 50 percent of clients are interested in moderately priced merchandise and 30 percent are there for the low-end product. He carries about 700 frames on boards in his dispensary and 200 frames in inventory in the back.

Reflections uses three optical labs to process lens orders, and offers a variety of lenses from Nassau, including progressives and special-order wrap styles. "We do a lot of specialty work," says Deputy, who also caters to a sports clientele. "We sell many wrap frames and high-base work. People are coming in here because they can't get them elsewhere."

To keep customers coming in, Deputy also advertises. "The statistics show that 80 percent of this town moves out in five years. If you don't advertise in those five years, 80 percent of the local people will not know who you are. So I go on advertising sprees every three years." He places ads on radio stations and in area newspapers and coupon books.

While business in Lake Tahoe may not boom year-round, there are excellent compensations: Fresh air, average 274 days of sunshine, outdoor recreation, and easy lifestyle. "This is not the type of area where there's a city hustle and bustle and you can make a deal every minute."