Urban Optiques Offers Custom Eyeglasses

Urban Optiques in downtown Northville lets customers choose the size, shape, finish, materials and colors of their frames. Shop owner Michelle Calder calls her frames “jewelry for your face” because they are a fashion statement.

The following answers were provided by Michelle Calder, owner of Urban Optiques. If you have a business and want to participate in Patch's Small Business Shout Out you can fill out the form here.

When were you founded?: "I bought the store in 2009, Urban Optiques has been an optometry practice/optical boutique since 1995."  

How did your business come to be?: "I just graduated from optometry school in May of 2009 and with the job market as scarce as it was, I was looking for innovative ways to hone my skills as a new optometrist while generating my own patient base.  I pursued the possibility of purchasing another practice but it just wasn’t quite the right fit.  I then decided to generate my own patient base by bringing patients in from the larger businesses in the area (Quicken Loans was one) that participated with vision insurances I accepted.  I was looking to lease space in the area so I went to speak with the local, private practice optometrists.  Urban Optiks (as it was called then) was first on my list.  I immediately fell in love with the décor of the practice and was thrilled to learn that the practice was for sale.  After several months of negotiating, Urban Optiks became mine, and I changed the name to Urban Optiques."

Why did you choose Northville?: "I had lived in Plymouth for 10 years but I absolutely loved the charm of this Norman Rockwell-style downtown.   It was also very reassuring to learn that the locals very much support their downtown and local merchants which illustrates how much pride Northville residents have in their community."

What kinds of services do you offer?: "I offer custom-made, unique, prescription eyewear that no other retailers in Southeast Michigan carry.  Not only are they the latest in couture eyewear, they are guaranteed to fit, which is something that my competition cannot offer.  The vast majority of eyeglass frames that are available are made in China and are one size fits “all” ready-to-wear frames that most big box chain retailers sell.  The problem is, your face is unique so your eyewear should be too.  What this means is at Urban Optiques, you will get a frame that fits you as perfectly as a custom tailor made suit.  Things that we do to ensure a perfect fit include lengthening and shortening the arms and bridges of the frame. This eliminates pinching, red marks, and tilted frames.  Our optical consultants will also widen or narrow the frame fronts, and make the frame fronts taller to expertly accommodate a progressive/no-line bifocal lens.  Additionally, the frame one builds will have a unique number associated with it, and it will have the customer’s name inside.  This will be a frame that no one else on the planet will possess.  The best part about our custom frames is that clients have more than 30 colors from which to choose, including glossy and matte finishes and the colors on the front can differ from those on the temples.  While all of the choices can appear to be overwhelming, there is no need to panic as our staff is highly trained to help customers build the perfect pair of eyeglasses."

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?: "Urban Optiques is one of the few retailers in the Midwest that offers custom-made eyewear.  Additionally we will go to the ends of the earth to get what a patient wants."

What do you want your business to be best known for?: "Custom-made eyewear."

What's your most popular product or service?: "The consultation that comes with building the eyewear is our most popular product.  Because there are plenty of options abound and many solutions available, we cannot narrow it down to a specific product.  Our diverse product and exemplary customer experience is what makes us stand out."