In the second installation of EB fashion and market editor Erinn Morgan's cross-country passage in a motor home, she profiles an optical shop in Napa, Calif., where tourism is as abundant as the fruit of the vine.

Tom Hays loves wine. Cabernet, Zinfandel, Merlot, no matter--he is a connoisseur. He can quickly list his 10 favorite wineries. Lucky for him, he lives and works in California's Napa Valley, home to some of North America's best wines.

Tom Hays owns Site for Sore Eyes in Napa, Calif., part of the Sterling Optical chain. The shop has been locally owned and operated for the past 15 years

Hays' other love is the optical business, which is why he purchased Site for Sore Eyes in Napa about a year ago. His store is part of a larger chain (with about 25 stores) of the same name owned by Sterling Optical.

"We have the best of both worlds with this store," says Hays. "We have the advantages of Sterling's buying power to get good deals on top products, but we still run the store independently and have the feel of a small, local business."

Interestingly, in Napa, there is no other choice. Large chain stores are frowned upon and discouraged--the local Chamber of Commerce caters to small business owners. "People here don't like chains, so they really try to keep them out," says Hays. "The only chain here is an A&W and they recently tried to add KFC to their location, but were denied by the local powers that be."

Originally from Oklahoma City, Ok., Hays built a chain of three optical shops there called Midwest Optical that he sold to Reeser Optical. He then built a chain of 38 quick-oil-change locations. After selling this venture to Jiffy Lube, Hays and his wife retired to Scottsdale, Ariz. "I flunked Retirement 101," he says. "I wanted to be more active in business, and we loved the Napa Valley, so we came up here and bought the optical shop."

With the purchase of Site for Sore Eyes came an established customer base--it had been locally owned and operated in Napa for 15 years.

Today, Site for Sore Eyes caters to all types of customers. "We have some tourists come into the store--they mainly buy sunglasses and clips," he says. "We also have people who come up from the city [San Francisco] and shop here. But mainly our customers are people who live and work here."

Since his customers range from blue-collar workers to stockbrokers and--of course--vinters, his inventory is diverse. The bulk of frames range in price from $100 to $300, while his lower prices start at $69 and high-end merchandise tops out at $375. "We are trying to be everything to everybody," he says.

While he stocks some staples, Hays mixes up his assortment. "We are a small community and I want to give them something different every time they walk in," he says. "I don't get excited about reordering--I change the assortment and order different brands and products all the time."

The store is about 1,500 square feet, so a large inventory is necessary to fill the space. Frames are displayed mainly in cases--"I think it adds real value to the frames where wall boards take this away," says Hays. He and his wife, an interior designer, are getting ready to remodel their recently purchased store for a new "old" look. "We want to give it more of a vintage feel to fit with the atmosphere of the surrounding Napa area," he says.

Along with its dispensary, Site for Sore Eyes features an in-house lab. "We will begin to offer one-hour service within a month," Hays says. The store also has an optometrist on premises a few days a week, but Hays says they rely on referrals from other local ODs as well. "We are the only optical shop in the area," he notes. "There are several ODs and ophthalmologists, some with small dispensaries, but they often refer people to us. It's a nice community--there is no business animosity among the optical professionals and we all help each other out."