BUYER’S FORUM

In the Black

Gary Black shares his secrets for finding great style for individual tastes

The chic storefront of Black Optical’s Tulsa, OK, location

with a passion for design and fashion, Black Optical strives to bring its customers frame collections that go above and beyond “typical” eyewear in both style and aesthetics.

Gary Black, founder and owner, got into the optical business at age 17 when he began working at a Sunglass Hut. A self-described “natural” at fitting frames, he opened Black Optical 11 years later. Now the shop has two locations in Oklahoma, one in Tulsa and the other in Oklahoma City, and a Dallas location is soon to come. The stores’ interiors mirror the eyewear within—classic, minimal, and chic.

Here, Black discusses how he and his staff curate their beautiful selection of product.

eb: What’s your strategy for curating an ultra-cool frame assortment?

gb: Eyewear is having a ‘Golden Age’ moment. In my 20 years of selling eyewear, I have never seen so many extraordinary designers and collections. That said, we can’t buy everything. So I’ve created rules to assist in narrowing down the options.

Some of the brand standards for Black Optical are no logos, real rivets, no faux detailing, and we have to be able to connect with the people behind the collections. Life is too short to surround yourself with negative people...no matter how great their products are.

eb: What are your three best-selling frames right now?

gb: Right now, it’s the Jacques Marie Mage American Bison collection [the frames are hand-wrapped in ecologically sourced Bison leather], Mykita’s Maison Margiela MMESSE010, and the Ash style from Dita.

eb: Where do you see eyewear trends heading next?

gb: I see clients embracing personal style and curating frames that are very individual. If it’s already a trend, it’s already out of style.

eb: What is your best business tip for new buyers?

gb: Buy what you love. Don’t try to keep up with what other buyers are doing. Create your own trends.

eb: What excites you most about the eyewear industry?

gb: At the moment, there is no ceiling in our industry. Anything is possible. We are seeing so many fresh faces enter eyewear, as opticians and designers…and I love it.

eb: How important is the design of your stores when it comes to displaying your products?

gb: To quote my mom, ‘Presentation is just as important as the merchandise.’ If the store doesn’t look great, show a visual representation of your style, and lead to a great client experience, then the environment will only cloud how handsome your frame selection is. I also can’t stress enough how important perfect lighting is to merchandising.

eb: Are trade shows still the best place to find great product? Which ones are your favorites?

gb: We attend SILMO and Vision Expo East—SILMO for inspiration and East for conducting a lot of business in a short amount of time. Both kind of remind me of summer camp for working opticians! That said, I get anxiety in large crowds and big box locations, so I try to get in and out of the expos as fast as possible. Plus, I prefer to see what and how people are styling themselves on the streets in real life versus rep trays.

Trade shows are necessary. But I’ve discovered and developed some of the best relationships with our collections without the assistance of trade shows: Dita, GLCO, SALT, and Jacques Marie Mage, for example. However, if we didn’t attend we would have never discovered how great Ahlem and Yellows Plus are.

And the only way to curate large collections from the likes of Anne et Valentin is at the shows.

eb: What’s your philosophy behind branding for Black Optical?

gb: Our philosophy is to always be daring and live by the motto ‘Great design can exist anywhere.’

eb: How do you relax in your off hours?

gb: Off hours? What’s that? Running to clear my head, listening to vinyl records for inspiration, and cooking family dinners to feel connected.

The Oklahoma City shop embraces minimalism

Gary Black, founder and owner of Black Optical

—Jackie Micucci

Jackie Micucci has covered the eyewear industry for almost 20 years and has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and Seattle magazine. A native New Yorker now living in Seattle, she has come to terms with the great outdoors and now actually enjoys such activities as hiking and kayaking.