Instead of a dispensing table, staff at Eyes on You in Seattle, WA lead customers/patients to a custom-made bar, complete with stools and seating for eight. Dr. Evie Lawson personally handled some of the carpentry in constructing the bar. According to social media and marketing manager Karen Barnes, “Patients sit at the bar and are served eyewear options by the optician based on their preferences. This provides the patient with continuity of care and a sense of being totally cared for through the entire process.”

At Invision Optometry in San Diego, CA, a variety of seating areas are available, including this bar-like station. While there, patients can avail of the optical’s actual full-service coffee bar (not shown), which offers lattes and cappuccinos, all made from varieties produced by local roasters.

Beverages are on offer at Premier Eyecare in Knoxville, TN, where patients and customers can fully enjoy the spacious effect created by the optical’s 25-foot-high ceilings and wall of windows.

A key feature of the optical at EYE LOVE OPTOMETRY in Pinole, CA, is the “eYebar,” a long custom-designed eyewear display case that also serves as a communal frame selection and dispensing table. Says owner Park L. Hsieh, OD, “Much like a bar can be a place where people meet, socialize and have fun, we wanted our eYebar to have the same vibe.”

EYE LOVE OPTOMETRY owner Park L. Hsieh, OD strives to cater to what he sees as the Millennial emphasis on the unique experience. “Why else would they line up for two hours just to experience a culinary dish at a famous chef’s restaurant, or a unique craft cocktail concocted by an expert mixologist? Well, since eyewear are works of art in their own right nowadays, the concept of the eYebar makes a lot of sense.”

At the wonderfully named Bent Lens in Bozeman, MT, a purveyor of find independent eyewear in the heart of cowboy country, the eyebar is as much ‘bar’ as it is ‘eye’…

…especially when it comes to instore events.

At Spring Hill Eyecare in Spring Hill, TN, customers who prefer a little stimulation while they choose their eyewear can retire to the coffee bar, which faces two TVs and has charging stations, customized coloring books for grownups, a mini-fridge with bottled water and a Keurig coffeemaker.  

An adult coloring book for patients to test their new eyewear out on at the bar at Spring Hill Eyecare in Spring Hill, TN

At Clear Eye Associates + Optical in Ft. Worth, TX, a freestanding eyewear bar was one component of a wholesale rethink of “how the current consumer wants to shop,” according to owner David Moore, OD. Also an excellent place for customers and patients to enjoy the complimentary cappucino or craft beer ordered when their apppointment is booked.

At Eyestyles Optical and Boutique, in Oakdale, MN, the eyebar, fashioned from the chassis of an old vehicle, fits in neatly with the store’s barnwood display frames and assemblage of fun, surrealist touches inclulding vintage photos (with stories attached), steamer trunks and faux fireplace. “I am a girly-girl,” says owner Nikki Griffin, “but I have always loved industrial aesthetic.”

At Zionsville Eyecare in Zionsville, IN, owner Nicholas J. Garn, OD was determined to shake the local main street out of its Midwestern penchant for staid interiors and neo-Colonial exteriors. This bar-like corner typifies the sleek, modern look of this 3,500-square-foot space. Customers can enjoy a cup from the practice’s custom latte machine while they’re served.

The small, intimate eyebar at Eyesite Optometric in Los Angeles, CA demonstrates that a bar feature doesn’t have to dominate an entire wall; designed properly it can occupy a corner of a small optical. In this case it really helps Eyesite deliver on its stated goal to provide “a customized and personalized experience for each and every patient.”