Eyewear fashions not just ‘for your eyes only’
All eyes are on Petaluma-based business Über Optics right now. Not only is the locally-loved optical store celebrating their 10-year anniversary; they have been voted America’s Best Optical Retailer in 2023 by Invision Magazine.
“This is national recognition; it is such an honor to be awarded for being unique in my field,” says Nancy Revis, owner and optician at Über Optics. “I was happy and honored to be able to create something so cool that it got national recognition, as well as this beautiful town being highlighted in the magazine.”
Revis combined her early love of fashion design with her marketing background and 23 years in the optical industry to open the award-winning shop in 2013. She has weathered 10 years of small-business ownership, even making it through the pandemic, when she had to become extra-creative to keep the business thriving.
“My education is in marketing and design. For years, I was doing the advertising for the other businesses where I worked, until I was finally at the point where I wanted to do it for myself,” she explains.
The store’s eclectic decor, engendered by Revis’ quirky vision, includes perfectly-styled, retro knick-knacks and furniture. And as anyone walking downtown can attest, the unique, fashion-forward and nostalgia-infused window displays at Über Optics are enough to tempt potential customers into the store, even if they just need sunglasses.
“I absolutely love that I have visual freedom in my shop to do what I want,” Revis says of her design schemes. “I am a maximalist, and I need to go a little cuckoo with my decorating and marketing ideas.”
Any customer who walks into the shop receives impeccable, authentically-motivated customer service. Beyond the shop, Revis’ Instagram posts and email updates are kooky, fun and connective. She does things in her own way, generously incorporating the community.
When she was in high school, she dreamed of working in fashion, and for the past 10 years, she has combined the optical and fashion industries, enabling her to deeply participate in the local community in a genuine and much-needed way.
“I get to be a part of people’s lives for the long haul. It’s pretty special that I filled eyewear needs for a 10 year old who is now a 20 year old. I’ve watched people grow up and see the world in different ways. We in the optical field become very entwined in the lives of our customers because we see people on a continual basis,” she says.
The shop offers hundreds of functional and fun glasses frames to choose from. They include those from simple to elaborate, in every color, and popular brands from Ray-Ban, Salt and Oliver Peoples to Vinylize, LA Eyeworks and more, and even a special vintage selection in a glass case. And if all that sounds daunting, don’t worry; feeling overwhelmed is banished under the expert guidance of Revis and her experienced staff.
“Jennifer has been with me since the beginning of the shop, and Elizabeth started the year after. They have been my ride-or-dies,” Revis says. “And Damon has been on board for almost two years now. We have such a good group.”
Revis loves what she does. Both customers and colleagues are a driving force behind the shop, especially during the pandemic, when her becoming extra-creative to make it through led to her becoming even stronger. And one needs that energy to run a small business.
“Owning a small business is really hard. It is constant work. When I am not in the shop I am still working,” she elaborates.
Her advice to those who want to open their own business?
“You must be extremely passionate and positive about your endeavors. Think about what makes you different in the sea of competition, and play off of that,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to be a little crazy or different.”
