Houston Optical Shop Isn’t So Much Stocked as Curated

“I pick out things that grab me,” says owner Philip Brown.

Philip Brown doesn’t so much stock his Houston store, Smith’s Opticians, as curate his collection. “I don’t really pay a lot of attention to what other shops might be stocking,” says Brown. “I pick out things that grab me and the clientele here really like that.” Behind a humble façade, says Houstonian magazine, “Smith’s is packed with eyeglass frames from around the world, including a whole room of what (Brown) calls vintage eyewear. Some might be new stock that harkens to vintage designs. Some might be excess stock of an eyewear business from 20 years ago that Brown picked up in a sale. There are also newer brands on the walls, too, mostly under-the-radar brands like Garrett Leight, Aframes, Krewe Optic and 141 Eyewear. All of the frames are hand-curated by Brown and it makes for a special shopping experience.”

Read more and see images at Houstonian