This NY Optical Business Has Been Serving Manhattan Style to the Suburbs for 40 Years

Eye Designs of Mamaroneck, Mamaroneck, NY

OWNERS: Sharon and Harris Decker; URL: eyedesignsofwestchester.com; FACEBOOK: facebook.com/eyedesignsofwestchester; INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/eyedesignsofmamaroneck; YEAR FOUNDED: 1984; Year Opened featured location: 2022; EMPLOYEES: 9 full-time, 4 part-time; AREA: : 2,000 sq.ft; Buildout cost: $150,000; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Alex Feldman and wife Stephanie Shkolnik; TOP BRANDS: Lindberg, Theo, Kuboraum, Anne et Valentin, Blake Kuwahara, Nano, Bevel

Sharon and Harris Decker

IN THE EARLY 1980s, Sharon Decker had a vision: She sought to bring to suburban Westchester County just north of NYC the chic, upscale eyewear she’d encountered while working in high-end Manhattan boutiques. In 1984, still in her mid-20s, she realized that vision with the opening of Eye Designs. Last year the business, by this time a Westchester institution with three locations in the county, celebrated its 40th anniversary. These days Sharon co-owns the business with her son Harris, who joined the company a decade ago, carrying into a third generation a family tradition that began with Sharon’s mother’s work in the optical industry in the 1970s.

According to Harris, Sharon “didn’t see any reason why these trendy, upscale styles couldn’t find a home in Westchester” and time has validated that belief. Eye Designs has been embraced by local residents as a destination where they can browse hundreds of Manhattan styles without traveling into the city, enjoying a reputation for top notch service and quality brands. In addition to the original Scarsdale location, the Deckers have opened stores in the surrounding towns of Armonk and Mamaroneck— the latter profiled here — delivering on a promise of “only the best, always independent eyewear from around the world.”

The Mamaroneck location features Eye Designs’ signature bright red and stark white store colors right out in front, and newly installed LED lighting has the frames popping off the shelves. “We liked this idea because unlike our other stores, Mamaroneck has walk-by, instead of drive-by, traffic. Therefore, we wanted it to be bright and bold,” says Harris.

In keeping with this, the location’s window features a bookshelf-like design adorned with coffee table books, plants and, of course, frames that are rotated weekly. And as with all of Eye Designs’ locations, a sign out front challenges passersby with the question: “Do you love your glasses?”— an arresting query that has become something of a slogan for the business. “Customers seem to love it,” says Decker. “Several parents have told us that anytime they walk or drive by our stores, [their kids] scream: ‘Do you love your glasses?’ Sometimes, that eventually brings them into the store. A simple question that we can solve can do wonders.”

In the optical, customers encounter a wide array of independent frames. In particular, Anne et Valentin and Lindberg have been critical to Eye Designs’ growth. A state-of-the-art lab at the Scarsdale location, which serves all three stores, was designed in part by the business’s two full-time optical technicians who have 50-plus years of experience between them.

Eye Designs’ signature bright red and stark white store colors are featured liberally, and newly installed LED lighting has the frames popping off the shelves.

They’re part of a crew that includes several veterans who have logged more than a decade with the company. “Our staff is as deep and diverse as the frames we sell. Over the years we’ve always believed that we are only as good as our staff — and they rock.” The Mamaroneck office (like its sister locations) has an OD in house providing full-service eye exams. The business’s top lens partner is Hoya, and they are big fans of EyeCloud on the EHR front.

When it comes to Eye Designs’ online presence, Harris says digital assets are viewed as more billboard than sales pitch. “If someone sees a social media post on our website and thinks, ‘I want to visit that store,’ then we’ve done our job,” he says. “Some of our most unique customers have actually come from our Instagram presence, including someone from Chicago that reached out many years ago and now purchases two or three frames per year through our Instagram account.”

The Deckers are firm believers in the merits of balancing digital outreach with real-world contact. All new patients, including kids, receive a personal thank you note welcoming them to the Eye Designs family. “Everyone enjoys getting mail and this… has been extremely successful with people of all ages, especially the kids, coming back to thank us.”

No doubt it is this ability to curate a fine selection of eyewear, provide attentive eyecare, cultivate a supportive staff environment and offer that personalized customer experience — and maintain it across four decades and three locations — that accounts for Eye Designs’ dazzling online reviews. They more than back up Harris’ claim that “We bat nearly 1.000 when it comes to our patient experiences and it’s because of our staff. We make it a point to have amazing experiences with every single person, no matter how much money they’re spending, or time they need.”

Five Cool Things About Eye Designs of Mamaroneck

1. LOCAL TALENT. Two unique works by local artists — a mural combining paint and 3D printed eyewear, and a collage map of Westchester County — are displayed in the store.

2. FUR A GOOD CAUSE. Eye Designs never charges for basic repairs or adjustments. Instead, they ask those requesting the service for donations to New York Pet Rescue. The initiative has raised thousands of dollars for the organization.

3. WALL OF FAME. Every two years Eye Designs invites all its customers in for a photo shoot and then uses the pictures in a patient appreciation mural. “It’s been a big hit in our community!”

4. GIVING BACK. As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations last year, Eye Designs held a #40ActsOfKindness campaign to show its appreciation to its patients and community, with a donation to the local Lions Club chapter kicking things off.

5. VINTAGE VIBE. The walls also feature vintage black-and-white photos of nearby places on Mamaroneck Ave. “We loved the idea of showcasing the rich history of the new town we call home,” says Harris.

PHOTO GALLERY (6 IMAGES)