Five Years of CustomEyes

By Gregor Owen, Optician & Owner

Well, the first look was pretty much dirt and an empty shell, but our minds were already filling it up with our very own ideas to compliment the building, celebrate Wilmington and the connection to the ocean and the river, and our quirky personalities. I found a friend in Samm Sawyer and Celeste Glass next door in her restaurant, and the story began. The basic upfit was handled by one of Wilmington’s premier contractors, known for repurposing historic buildings all over town: Christopher Yermal of Old School Rebuilders. After his crew did a bang-up job on the basic interior, David Goodson, a brilliant carpenter and artist happened to come into the picture and we went to work. He was amazing and we would not be here without him. He kept asking if I had a plan, and I said, “Yes, but it is just somewhere in my head, lets just keep going and do what comes naturally to the site and the interior." Poor guy, that is not how you do an upfit to a retail location, but I think it really worked out in the end. David and I worked together for months and finally it was done. Here is the final funky place we call CustomEyes:

My wife Kelly continued to work in Raleigh, and after searching for an affordable place to live while getting this project completed, for the first time in any marriage, she suggested we buy a boat and live on that. We did: we found an old lovely 80’s era motor yacht we still call our salty home off the river. Without her loving support none of this would have happened.

Next, Dominic and I went to the International Vision Expo in NY City and met with designers and frame manufacturers from all over the world. We had the chance to see the entire eyewear industry in one place and at one time, and met the owners, designers, and craftspeople that would best partner with us to bring a fabulous frame collection of true art in eyewear to Wilmington. We wanted quality, creativity, and unique brands not commonly seen in any of the shops we visited in town before we offered them in our shop. We also wanted brands that reflected a respectful and supportive workplace for employees crafting the eyewear, and ones we could feel proud to offer to our clients. We came back with a stunning collection that actually thrills first time visitors to the shop with its diversity and style.

Samm Sawyer and her web design, graphic artistry, media expertise, and amazing staff has been legendary in making the story of our shop. She's worked diligently to introduce CustomEyes to Wilmington and support us from the beginning. Without her advice and talents, we probably would be a shadow of our current selves and our shop too much of a hidden gem.

Of course, after opening in fall of 2019, Covid hit. We introduced an immediate health plan to keep open for those in need, and protect both ourselves and our clients. We got past it by working hard to follow protocols and with the help of the support to small business from all of the sources available, and our loyal clients. Everyone everywhere has their story and luckily most of us made it though. Enough said about that.

It is five years later, and the adventure continues. Every day brings a new friend into the shop or friends made earlier on that find us to be passionate and dedicated to their best life in eyewear. Our lenses designed by Shamir have constantly shocked our clients with their unique and superior clarity that pairs so well with our carefully crafted frames. We actually enjoy the process of introducing people who shop with us to the perfect look to match their idea of what works best in their lives to reflect their image and offer them the best vision anywhere.

We offer our humble and undying gratitude for offering us a chance to design eyewear for our friends in the area. The success of CustomEyes could not have been possible without the entire family of friends who have worked and shopped with us from near and far. Thank you to each and every one. Here is to many more years of finding cool eyewear and fabulous lenses and having fun doing it. We're so happy to have our friends in Wilmington and its surrounding communities that enjoy our little eyewear shop.