The Erker family, who have been in the optical business since 1879, opened Eye Roc in 2011, looking to bring affordable, independent eyewear that was fashion-forward to St. Louis’ Central West End.

The store didn’t really become the distinctive location it is now until Jason Little took over as manager in 2015. “I wanted to make it my own shop… that would reflect the music I like, the eyewear I like and the atmosphere I like,” recalls Little.

The store’s frame selection includes the owner’s self-produced Erker’s 1879 line of eyewear. Manager Jason Little says offering private label “cuts middle man costs and allows us to work with various price points and offer styles that can’t be found anywhere else.”

A couple of Eye Roc friends enjoy the optical’s trademark relaxed vibe.

Manager Jason Little brought his surfboard with him when he moved to St. Louis from California.

Eye Roc Eyewear staff get a little couch time out front.

Eye Roc Eyewear is located in St. Louis’ Central West End, an upscale neighborhood dotted with hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other boutique stores.

Manager Jason Little says going to work at Eye Roc feels like “going into a part of my own house or into a part of my past that I enjoyed.” Many of the cultural references date to the ’80s and ’90s, which “are still very much in fashion, especially in eyewear.”

Manager Jason Little enjoys a reflective moment outside Eye Roc Eyewear in St. Louis, MO.

Manager Jason Little is front and center in the marketing at Eye Roc Eyewear, which is very much his baby, though it is owned by the Erker family, who have been involved in the optical industry since the 19th century.