America's Best optical store plans expansion at Arborland
An Arborland Center retailer, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, is relocating to a larger location in the shopping center at 3601 Washtenaw Avenue in an expansion.
The Georgia-based optical store is currently located in a 2,600-square-foot space between Diva Nails and H&R Block in the outlot portion of Arborland near Starbucks Coffee. The move means the store is relocating just two storefronts down from its current site to a 4,100-square-foot space in the north endcap of the strip.
Baife David, general manager for the Ann Arbor America’s Best location, said that the store is set to move Aug. 12, and the relocation won't affect the business' operating hours.
David said the expansion is necessary because of a steady uptick in business. He said the store is hiring three new employees in anticipation of the relocation. “We are extremely busy at this location,” David said. “We’re too busy for this space.”
He also said that parking should be easier for customers since the new location is on the end of the strip mall.
“People will have close access to the other parking lot so they don’t feel like they have to park where Starbucks is,” he said.
America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses has more than 300 locations nationwide. The store in the Arborland Center is the only Ann Arbor location.
Among other recent changes at Arborland:
— The addition of a JoS. A. Bank men’s retail store, which is set to open in July.
— The recent Borders bankruptcy left the bookstore chain’s former 22,941-square-foot location in the shopping center vacant.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 9:05 p.m.
how about some parking? that corridor to starbucks is a joke for parking.
Ron Granger
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 12:58 p.m.
A few of my friends have been ordering eye glasses online. They've been very happy and they say they're saving a lot. I recently read an article in salon that described the monopoly in the eyeglass industry. The author was asking why his glasses cost 3X more than his new flat panel TV. Apparently one large corporation (I think it said in Italy) owns many of the frame companies, many of the different stores that sell glasses, etc. They have the market cornered. And the few outlets they don't own aren't about to lower prices - they love the high prices. The fact is, glasses are simple technology. It's old tech. There is nothing to it. It should be priced like the commodity that it is... if not for that darn monopoly thing. I wish this local employer luck. Maybe they're the exception to the whole monopoly-level pricing.
fjord
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 1:56 p.m.
I hope your friends who order online have information beyond just their prescriptions. Properly made eyeglasses require additional information such as pupillary distance (PD), so that the optical centers of the lenses can be properly placed within the frames. If you just have the prescription without the PD you are likely to wind up with glasses that do not provide optimal vision correction, even if the prescription in them is technically correct. Furthermore, many people require additional measurements beyond PD to attain proper correction and fitting. What you say about the eyeglass industry is largely true. Frames are mostly made by Luxottica and its subsidiaries, and they do own a lot of the larger retailers in the U.S. (e.g., LensCrafters, Pearle, Sears Optical, Target Optical, and Cole Vision, among others). There are, however, plenty of retailers who are independent of Luxottica -- just stay away from the large national chains if you want to avoid them. Stick with independent opticians or smaller, regional chains -- of course, most of those retailers find that they still have to sell Luxottica frames, because they make the most popular "fashion" lines. Anyone considering an online purchase of eyeglasses should think twice and do their research. If your prescription is more than two years old, it's too old and shouldn't be used (I believe it's actually unlawful to do so); if an online retailer says it's OK to use an older script, stay away. If you don't have measurements along with your prescription, you may wind up with glasses that give you a headache. When you get an exam, make sure you can get a PD measurement along with your prescription. Also, the typical last step when dispensing a pair of eyeglasses is a final fitting by the optician. If you buy online you're skipping this step, and you're left to hope that your glasses fit properly (it's difficult to tell right away unless you know what to look for). As with all things ... "caveat emptor.
Ron Granger
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 12:50 p.m.
"America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses" - REALLY? A fact I've learned over the years is to avoid any business that advertises that it is the best. And especially avoid businesses that proclaim they are the best in their name. Without notable exception, I have found that they are not the best. In fact, they're often pretty mediocre. Especially if it is a chain. And the places that could be considered the best? They don't make goofy claims like that. Examples: "Best Chinese" - If you don't run from that one, you'll be running later. "Best Burgers" - Yeah, right. Do you see any of the great burger places claiming that in Ann Arbor? "Best sandwiches" - Jimmy John's claims that - which is a huge joke. That place is awful. Etc. I guess I'm not big on hype.
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 9:04 p.m.
jimmy john's rocks.
Ron Granger
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 5:23 p.m.
Touché, and well turned!
Snehal Shah
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.
You can claim yourself to be the 'Best' Critic.