Williams Eye Works opened May 19, 1995. And, Chris Williams, the founder/owner, knew the exact date. Most business owners I’ve ever met can’t recall their business birthdate. I was shocked that he knew.
I asked: “What makes William Eye Works stand out?” Ryan Williams answered: “Knowledgable, Service and Selection.” This is a Williams family credo & purpose and, is at the top of mind.
All the staff are Knowledgeable. The Service is impeccable. Their Selection is impressive. Check, check, check.
The first thing you’ll notice are all the brand names of the notable designer glasses they have on display: Tom Ford, Dior, Oakley, Balenciaga, rag & bone, Ray-Ban, MATSUDA, lafont, Cartier, HUGO BOSS, Dolce & Gabbana, and CELINE to name the names.
BACKSTORY:
I have a good friend who was a nurse for 30 years in Staten Island. She is also one of the most frugal pocket spenders, penny pinchers I’ve ever met. She’s the type to drive 10 miles across the island to save $5.00. For her, any extra expenditure is a serious point of contention. This is except when is comes to Williams Eye Works—all bets are off.
She said:
“I don’t care what they charge me. I’ve been going to them for 30 years, and they are the best.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because they know exactly what I want. Their records are kept absolutely impeccable. They do adjustments, corrections, adjust bent frames, fix scratched lenses or anything else I want. And, they do it fast, and almost all of the time, it’s included in the price.
I’ve gone to other Opticians over the years. All the other place I’ve ever been to never get it right.
Even when I bought a house in Florida, I would drive all the way up to Staten Island, stay with friends, and only have ‘Williams’ fix or replace my glasses. I will never use any other eyeglass place, ever—for as long as I live. I don’t care what they charge. They are the best.” — L.H.
She was worked up and yelling at this point in the rant. I clearly got the message.
Another thing you’ll notice when you walk into Williams Eye Works is that in 15 seconds or less, someone there will ask you:
“Hi, what can we do for you today?” — Chris Williams
“Hi, How can we help you?” — Staff 1 said.
“Are you getting helped?” Staff 2 said.
“Are you being helped?” — Chris Williams
“Are you being helped?” — Staff 3 said.
“Hi, how are you today?” — Ryan Williams
“What are you guys doing today?” — Chris Williams
“Can I help you?” Staff 3 said.
Perhaps they are getting a feel for what each person might want to hear, just like when you get a corrective eye prescription—to each their own.
The owners and staff make direct eye contact and are extremely sincere, attentive and real. This differs from other eye wear businesses that either see dollars $ign$ when you walk in or they see you as just another customer they have to help at their job. This isn’t true at Williams Eye Works. This courteous and direct eye contact is a notable hallmark you will experience as a new or old client at the shop.
As a Creative Ad and Brander, I conducted something called an OBSERVATION LAB. This is something we do to understand how the business interacts with their clients and customers. It’s not easy to do. It’s a valuable tool and requires the removal personal and professional biases—going in, like a child, with a clean brain and senses. 🧠
Here’s what was noted:
SOUND
Something you might not immediately notice is the classic rock music playing at a nearly inaudible volume. Even more notably the doors and windows completely shut out the sounds of the street on a bustling Victory Blvd. The music and comfortable conversations drown the exterior sounds out. This barrier is so evident that when the door does open, no matter where any of the staff are in this two room store, they are alerted without a bell, buzzer or other noise gadget to let them know.
In other words, you’d be hard pressed to find another Staten Island business that has mastered this particular communication aspect of creating a comfortable interior customer experience like Williams Eye Works. Usually in a doctors office or clinic, there are sets of doors which creates this sound barrier. At Williams Eye Works, it is noticeable because they are only slightly offset from the street, but again, you wouldn’t notice this once you’re inside the store. It just is.
VISUAL
The interior is varying shades of painted walls and wood paneled cabinets. The walls are mostly a mustard color, except for the wall which is a deep reddish-brown which holds the exterior windows and doors. The wall-to-wall carpet is a thick herringbone pattern, which helps to dampen the sound, and blends well on the interior.
This makes the star of the showcase: 1,000+ pairs of glasses. That, and the polite, well-groomed staff.
More importantly, they do what they say they are going to do. Then, they do it. Chris, Ryan and John Williams, are Opticians and Chris’s daughter, Valerie, is an actual Optometrists (eye doctor) pictured below.
A customer quipped:
“Wow, this is really good—the air conditioning.”
- It was a 91° day, mostly sunny with precipitation 91 too (yes, I checked a weather app. for accuracy).
Honestly, for such colorful and friendly characters as John, Ryan, and Chris Williams are, there does seem to be a limited supply of their personality displayed in the space. Maybe this doesn’t matter. However, their warm and caring personalities come out, at a moments notice, when you are there. I don’t think they need any personalized flair hanging on the walls of their business. For one, you aren’t going to be waiting there long enough to even notice.
30+ people were in and out
of there in less than 7-12 minutes.
I know this, I was there for 2.5 hours.
Personally, I happen to be a big fan of seeing how business owners put their real personalities into their business. The limited pictures that are in the space is still relaxing. It’s clean and uncluttered much like a doctor’s office.
There is also a wonderful map of Central Park behind the glass door when you first enter. then, above the single seat reception area, there is this photo:
While I was visiting the shop, John Williams was very excited about a big box that had arrived before he showed up to work. In the box was a banjo that he ordered seven month ago. The banjo was made by Nechville, their manufacturing facility is in Minneapolis, MN. They have one retail store called Banjos West in Oregon.
He was happy it arrived. He was happy that it didn’t weight 30lbs.
Something that you might not notice immediately is the original founder and owner, Chris Williams, perfectly topped head of thick grey hair, had developed such a powerful business model and brand code of ethics, that his two sons, John and Ryan both became opticians.
All three children followed in the footsteps of the father’s eyewear business. This is a rare culture phenomenon.
The applicable adage to add here is:
“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
PUBLIC PROFILE
So I checked their Google reviews and of 57 reviews they score a 4.7. Naturally, I scrolled down (opening the little browser arrow) to see what the complaints were that led to a 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Three of the one star reviews had absolutely no comments attached. None. Just one star with no explanation.
One might assume that this was posted by a competitor but we’ll never know. Businesses do this to one another because bad peer-to-peer reviews can hurt business.
The other two, less than perfect, reviews were right next to one another and they’re screenshot them here:
- Ocultist [SIC] or Occultist?
I think you’d be hard-pressed to ask Chris, John or Ryan to sit for a tarot reading. A curious typo, indeed. - “Poor selection for kids.”
Wait… I didn’t see any Pokémon, Mickey Mouse or Goofy glasses there. Okay but, two stars, really?*
- *Could these type of comments be a form of self-hatred? I don’t know and, I’m no doctor. That said, the worst comments I could find online on Williams Eye Works are the two above. Not bad, IMHO.
REMEMBER:
“Knowledgable, Service and Selection.” — Chris Williams
You won’t find a business that is more community-orientated, and supportive than Williams Eye Works. There’s also a 90% chance that you won’t find better customer service, anywhere.
Location: 1884 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone: (718) 273-5000
Email: info@WilliamsEyeWorks.com
Website: WilliamsEyeWorks.com
Busy Times: They are busiest in the late morning and after school. 10-1 and 3-5, but the appointment book is typically full every day. And, they’ll always find plenty of time for their new customers and clients.
by Breuk Iversen
8grape.com
Staten Island, NY #si-nyc 