DAWN TO DUSK

A Day in the (Inspired) Life of Edward Beiner

This Miami-based retailer and eyewear designer fills his day with refined design, great food...and car rallies

Eyewear retailer + designer Edward Beiner has 12 stores in Florida

A passion for eyewear that fuses technology and beauty—and a drive to deliver the very best customer service. These are some of the things that define Edward Beiner, a Miami-based retailer and designer of high-end prescription eyewear and sunwear. He opened his first Miami eyewear boutique in 1981—today he operates 12 retail stores in Florida.

EB sat down with this highly respected purveyor of luxury eyewear to learn more about his incredibly productive, truly civilized, and culinary-rich workday, from dawn to dusk.

6:30 a.m.: My iPhone goes off to the sound of church bells. I grew up in Santos, Brazil, with the daily sound of church bells and find it very soothing. (I know…a bit strange for a Jewish boy.) Church bells or not, I hit the snooze button.

6:40 a.m.: The bells go off again and I see the foliage through our blinds. I am the official coffee maker—Bustelo in an Italian mocha machine. With freshly frothed milk, that is the best way to start my day.

7:00 a.m.: I check email, read The New York Times online, put on “Morning Joe,” catch up with Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and chat with my wife, Daniela.

8:00 a.m.: I get showered, shaved, and dressed. The most important decision of the morning is which glasses best fit my wardrobe and mood. I have over 20 pairs of prescription frames from my own Edward Beiner collection, plus Retro-Specs, Barton Perreira, Jacques Marie Mage, and Mykita. Living in Florida, I have three pair of sunglasses in my car—Christian Roth, Persol, and polarized Maui Jim.

8:45 a.m.: I head to the office on “Useless 1,” officially known as U.S. 1 or South Dixie Highway. What should be a seven-minute drive can take half an hour through Miami traffic.

9:15 a.m.: A short update with our operations and marketing team. We discuss frame collections, lens technologies, and social media…followed by a Cuban Colada. I am not big on breakfast, but, at some point in the morning, I try to have a hard-boiled egg or Greek yogurt with Daniela’s homemade granola.

10:00 a.m.: My business partner, Guido Balocco, and I review daily operations and strategic conversations. Lately, we have also been discussing our 1940 Chevy, as we just finished driving from Peking to Paris with the Endurance Rally Association. After its 9,000-mile journey, it needs some work to restore it back to rally condition. A special thank-you to Essilor and Carrera who helped sponsor us.

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: I leave this time open to meet with reps, work on my in-house collection, and learn about new collections. I peruse trade and fashion magazines, and call our store managers and field reps.

1:00-4:00 p.m.: Daniela and I have a nice lunch at Old Lisbon, a wonderful Portuguese restaurant three doors from the office. I love the white tablecloths, impeccable service, grilled sardines, and vinho verde. I am ready to face the afternoon. (On the more stressful days, it’s a quick soup at Panera or sushi at neighboring Akashi. My life is one of extremes, but it’s an interesting one.) After lunch, I visit some of our six locations here in Dade County.

5:00 p.m.: It’s Monday. That means guitar lessons.

6:00 p.m.: This is one of three days a week I go to the gym and work out with light weights and on the elliptical. As on most evenings, Daniela and I prepare dinner together. Usually it’s grilled fish or chicken with a salad or roasted vegetables. Now that our sons are grown, we also go out with friends during the week and entertain at home. There is something liberating about going out on a weeknight.

11:00 p.m.: One last check through emails, one last glance at the news. I try reading—just finished “Thirteen Days in September” by Lawrence Wright. Next is a book my son recommended—“Creativity, Inc.” by Ed Catmull. I try to turn off the light by 11:30, but, like most nights, it’s closer to midnight.

—as told to Stephanie K. De Long