Business Description
Blink Eyewear is an optical boutique located in the heart of Collingwood that specializes in prescription and non-prescription eyewear. In their prescription products they offer anything from unique glasses, sun-wear, and even custom contact lens fittings. In their non-prescription products, they offer a variety of pieces such as sun wear, goggles and contact lenses. Each piece of eyewear is made tailored to the individual’s taste and needs and is only made once, therefore every individual gets a special product that cannot be found or bought anywhere else!
Her Story
Jessie has had a passion for the optical industry starting from a young age. At the age of 15, she began working for an optical store and continued throughout the remaining of her senior years in high school. After receiving her high school diploma, she continued gaining experience in the industry working for an optometrist throughout her university education. Although Jessie had a strong interest in the optometrist field, her initial career path was to become a lawyer. After successfully writing the LSATS and applying to various law schools, she realized that the law industry was not where her passion lied and her heart was set on working in the optometry field.
After coming to the realization of where she wanted to invest her passion and energy, Jessie decided to take the full-time program at Georgian college. As she was pursuing the program at the college, she would routinely visit the Blue Mountains community. It didn’t take long for Jessie to fall in love with the amazing scenery, broad array of outdoor activities and heartwarming community spirit in the Blue Mountains. After she graduated from the Optician program, she saw the opportunity to open up an eyewear boutique in Collingwood, the area which she had grown to know and love. After already being in the industry for 15 years, Jessie was confident she had the knowledge, skills and passion to excel in this field, and offer something special to the community of the Blue Mountains.
What Customers Love About Blink Eyewear
Jessie approaches the eyewear experience in a unique fashion that has been raved about by previous customers, which also sets her apart from the other optical places in the community. Customers love the passion and effort Jessie puts in to finding them the best piece of eyewear that will suit their individual needs and preferences. Jessie works with her clients one to one to make sure they come up with a plan that works for them, and solves the customers immediate problem or need in a timely fashion.
Memorable Experiences With Customers
Jessie reiterates that all customers bring a unique and fulfilling experience to her boutique. Although her business is based out of Collingwood, she has customers from across the globe including places in Europe, Australia, The United States and other parts of Canada. Jessie believes purchasing eyewear is a positive emotional experience, and thrives on giving an abundance of knowledge about her products and making them feel more empowered about their decision.
Exciting Plans For the Future
Recently Jessie held an event that she called the trunk show at the boutique. This event involved a brand representative from a specific product line of eyewear showcasing their exclusive product lines. This showcase was extremely well received by customers, and Jessie is currently in the process of planning other shows in collaboration with other exclusive eyewear brands.
Unique Facts About the Business
As briefly mentioned previously in the blog, the collections that Jessie carries in her boutique are exclusive to her shop and cannot be found anywhere else! Once she sells a unique frame to a customer, she never sells that same piece again. The collections that are carried in the boutique are small batched and majority of them are from Europe. Jessie is a licensed optician, enabling her to give the best and most informative experience to her customers. She approaches every purchase experience from a medical and fashion manner, while getting a product that fulfills the needs of both of those components for each customer.
What Jessie Loves About the Community
Jessie loves the small town feel of the area and the special connections she has established throughout her time in the community and through her business. She highlights the fact that everyone comes together to support each other in various ways, and it is an atmosphere like no other. People in the community willingly open up their hearts to those in need and that is something that should be treasured and appreciated.
Jessie notes that there is no short supply of phenomenal restaurants to eat at in the area. In Collingwood, her favourite restaurants and cafes include; Treemont Cafe, Gibson’s Coffee, The Crow, Creemore Coffee Studio, Azurra and Bent Taco. Her favourite shopping boutique in the area is Cora’s Couture Boutique, which is located in the heart of Collingwood.
Being in the Blue Mountains community, Jessie points out there is an abundance of outdoor activities to participate in! Some of her favourites include; hiking and biking all of the beautiful trails, biking to sunset point and having a picnic, swimming from the pier, art crawl in the fall, and having special cottage nights with her family and friends.
Why It Is Important To Shop Local
It is crucial for the economy flow in a small community to support your neighbour in order to maintain strong business relationships, effective job flow, and local food supply from farmers and croppers. There is a movement towards consumer awareness in the community, where the individual knows where the products are coming from. When a customer shops local, they are instilling trust in the owner to give them some individualized to their taste and benefit.