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RETAIL OPS

The pros and cons of operating opticals in urban locations

Eyecare Business March 1, 2014
RETAIL OPS

City Life

The pros and cons of operating opticals in urban locations

from difficulty finding a parking spot to having competitors on every block, running an optical practice in a large city offers sizeable challenges…and rewards, if you walk to the tune of a city beat. When I was based in South Florida, I especially enjoyed our variety of patients. There was never a dull day!

ADVANTAGES

✓ SIZE MATTERS. Bigger can be better; the immensity of a city offers benefits simply by its numbers. “Our city location gives us a higher population in a denser geographical area to market to, and more people means a larger group of potential customers,” explains Dianna Finisecy, ABOC, president of Wagner Opticians in Washington, DC (population 632,323).

✓ POSITIONING. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that city size allows you the elbow room to develop the kind of practice you desire. “You can choose how to practice—high end, commercial, budget—and be successful,” says Mitch Cassel, O.D., whose practice, Studio Optixx, is in New York, NY (population 8,175,133).

UNIQUE TWEAKS

Each city, like each ECP, has its own personality. Finding this key will open the door to success in the city.

Birmingham: “There’s such a diversity of things you can do in a city; for example, enjoy the arts, entertainment, and sciences. It’s necessary and rewarding to be involved in city culture and community endeavors.” – JACK SCHAEFFER, O.D.

Detroit: “We’re experiencing a dynamic reinvention. I think we’ll come out of this economic downturn and bankruptcy better than before. People still need eyecare and eyewear.” – RON DELANEY, ABOC

New York City: “It’s challenging because there’s an eye doctor on almost every block, so you have to stay on top of your game at all times. Competition is fierce, so you have to have a game plan for uniqueness.” – MITCH CASSEL, O.D.

Washington, DC: “Washington has a constantly changing political climate and the population is very transient. It’s a double-edged sword: you can lose your clientele more often as people move frequently, but you also have the opportunity for fresh, new clientele more often.” – DIANNA FINISECY, ABOC

✓ SPECIALIZATION. Adds Jack L. Schaeffer, O.D., of Schaeffer Eye Center in Birmingham, AL (population 212,038), “Practicing in a city allows ECPs to specialize more easily in one area of practice, be it pediatrics, low vision, sports vision, high end…you name it.”

✓ REFERRALS. “It’s easier to maximize referrals to subspecialists, so it’s important to make those key introductions and contacts,” Dr. Cassel advises.

✓ EXPOSURE. “Being located in a city exposes our practice to a larger segment of all different vision challenges and fashion demands,” adds Finisecy.

✓ MULTIPLE GENERATIONS. “We’re family owned, have been in practice 25 years, and now we’re seeing the third generation of families,” says Ron Delaney, ABOC, and co-owner of Pearle Vision Center Westland Eyecare in Livonia, MI (population 713,777).

Wagner Opticians’ Finisecy adds, “Though my location is unique on our hospital campus, we’re in a neighborhood and we’ve nurtured multi-generations. We’re in our 44th year, so we have some advantages of being an intimate local business because we’ve nurtured generations of customers despite our big city atmosphere.”

DISADVANTAGES

✗ EXPENSIVE. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage to doing business in a city is that it tends to be more costly.

“It’s expensive to practice in a city,” explains Cassel. “Your rent is first and foremost, which trickles down to all aspects of the practice.”

✗ COMPETITION. Advertising, in particular, can be costly and needs to pack more punch in order to be noticed. “It’s harder to advertise effectively because there’s less penetration, it’s more expensive, and you have to compete with the big guys,” Dr. Schaeffer says.

“It’s like running an ad in the New York Times versus a more localized paper,” Dr. Cassel adds. “If positioned correctly, you can really stand out. Having an outstanding window display makes a difference.”

In the end, it’s the specialized attention given to each individual patient that matters most. “You’re a small cog in a big wheel,” says Dr. Schaeffer. “But word of mouth is just as important in a city as anywhere else. A city is, after all, comprised of small communities.”

— Karlen McLean

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