ALTER EGO
Jody Shuler
BASE OF OPERATIONS
EyeCrave Optics, Watertown, NY
In 2015, this crusader for consummate eyecare surveyed his domain, and realized all was not well in the North Country. People were getting eyecare, but they craved something more, and they were willing to pay for it. His mission was clear. “Much in the optical world is left to the prearranged ordering systems of insurance companies. Creating a special approach to the store, people are likely to spend a little more. I just try to give people a higher level of service,” says EyeCrave Optics owner Jody “Sir Assistor” Shuler.
Setting up shop in the historic Woolworth Building in downtown Watertown, this swashbuckling ECP declared war on a rogues’ gallery of conformity-enforcing insurers, uninspired opticals and the forces of evil they have assembled: humdrum eyewear, impersonal service, a World Wide Web of false economies, and – worst of all – crummy coffee. “They all had the same mindset.” No longer. Daily, he fights the good fight against all things uninspired and champions the “fun, funky and fabulous.”
Complacency is kryptonite, and Shuler fretted over the foothold it was gaining in his region long before he founded EyeCrave. “I’ve been at this for 27 years,” he reminds us coolly. But his old foe never sleeps, and has deep pockets. “The insurance sector is dumbing down the average consumer, as well as the average employee.”
Wherever a customer is in need of honest style counseling, Sir Assistor swoops. “Rarely will I allow someone to shop unassisted. Clients need assistance selecting eyewear just like I need assistance selecting the right footwear.” Whenever cut-price conventionality looms, Shuler materializes. “In a chain store, you get a pair of glasses; at EyeCrave people can really express themselves. They get a quality fit and a beautiful look. It’s an escape from the norm.” Whenever a customer threatens to deny themselves those FEB31sts they secretly crave, Sir Assistor descends in the nick of time. “Sometimes people are standoffish [at first] but they know if they want the best products and the best service, they’re going to pay for it. After a while you wear those people down …”
His only reward: a superhuman capture rate. “I for one don’t like a pushy salesperson,” Sir Assistor insists. “I like to give people an experience; style them, give them a proper fitting, give them advice, and let them make the decision. I have a pretty high capture rate.”
In one of many breathless notes posted by grateful citizens to EyeCrave’s Facebook page, the relief is palpable: “He was like my very own personalized eyewear stylist!” a customer gasps. “Customer service boils down to going that extra mile for people,” Shuler explains. “The whole golden rule thing … I really believe everybody wants the best product, the best service. They want to feel special.”
Naturally, if you’re going to wage war on poor taste, you do it with panache. It should look effortless, and you need a few goodies around. “I usually have chocolates out, coffee. I serve wine. It’s very laid back, but it’s a true boutique, and I try to treat it like that.”
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 edition of INVISION.