Moda Optique

I've always dreaded getting new eyeglasses. I've put off shopping for frames. I'll be wearing the things on my face, of all places, so they'd better be perfect.

Apparently, what I've needed all along was Hratch, the owner, Optician and Eyewear Consultant at Moda Optique at 415 South Lake Avenue. John discovered Hratch (pronounced as written) and Moda by stopping in on a whim. For John, choosing new frames is simple: he knows what he wants, he finds it, he buys it. Not me. I try on pair after pair: the Spinster, the Desperate Hipster, the Party Animal, the Geezer. (Perhaps I place too much importance on this.)

Hratch, a certified optician, uses three different labs to make his lenses, based on each lab's technical strengths. But he cuts the lenses himself. He fits them to the frames. He makes the glasses. That explains why he's so meticulous during the fitting. This is his creation and he wants you to look good in it.

Our Eyewear Consultant has a strong fashion sense, too, which comes in handy for me because I don't. He calmed my confusion over color and style. (Should I get the Party Animal in fuchsia or would it be better in tangerine? Try the Stylish Nerd in blue, he said, and he was right.) Hratch isn't afraid to tell you if he thinks a style doesn't work for you, but he won't do that without suggesting something that will. And I bet you'll go for it.

These services aren't cheap but they're definitely a bargain. Like John says, Hratch is an artisan. In him, titanium technology meets old world craft. I like meeting people like him in my town.

My business with Hratch is finished for now. I don't think I'll be able to break my glasses and I'm sure I'll be happy with my Stylish Nerds for quite some time. I'll have to come up with other reasons to stop in and say hello. Maybe I'll break John's glasses.