New Store Has Quick Vision

By COLlive reporter

David Halimi plans to change the way you see the world. More like, the way through which you see the world.

The owner of the new branch of Eyeglasses 99 on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights says there’s an easier and better way to purchase and own spectacles.

“Ordering glasses shouldn’t take a long time,” says the soft-spoken French native. “It shouldn’t take a week to get your glasses from a store or 14 days from an online shop.”

“Glasses today are a lot like clothing,” says Halimi, who studied in the Institut Superieur Optique, the optics graduate school in Paris. “Some people have 10 pairs, to fit what they are wearing each day and add color to their face.”

At the flagship branch on Coney Island in Flatbush, customers can take an optician exam on location, choose the frames that suit them and 10 minutes later can leave with their prescription glasses.

Standing in his new Kingston Avenue and Lincoln Place location, neighboring Basil Pizza & Wine Bar, he picks up a pair of trendy plastic framed glasses. “This was ordered at 7pm last night and it is ready for pick-up this morning,” he says. “Our goal here is to be as quick as the Flatbush store.”

“People don’t like waiting these days. They want things right away. They don’t want to come back in a week. Unlike others, we keep the lenses and frames in stock and work with a great supplier so we can offer a good price and fast service.”

He indeed prides himself on quick turnaround. “It took us 7 days to set up this store. It was last used by Metro PCS, and was a mess when we got it. The walls, the floors, everything needed to be redone. In a week and a day we were ready to open with everything set up.”

The showcases on the walls are lined with plastic, acetate, metal and titanium frames. There’s a colorful kids corner with glasses their size and a few toys to keep them occupied. A picture of the Rebbe hangs front and center along with promotional posters from designer brands which he sells.

Frames including prescription lenses range between $50 and $300, and right now he has a sale running for 2 pairs of eyeglasses for $99. An optician from Flatbush will be there on Sundays taking any insurance or to give eye exams at a low rate.

Service is provided in Hebrew, French, English and Italian. And there’s a 1-year warranty on any pair. “My rule is never to lie to people,” he says. “The customer always needs to be happy.”

What’s left for him to do is to affix the mezuza he purchased written in Ktav Admur Hazaken on the front door.

A grand opening celebration with free sushi will take place nest Sunday, September 1st from 2 pm.

Eyeglasses 99
266 Kingston Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11213.
917-893-9010
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-7pm. Friday 10am-3pm. They accept all major credit cards.