Eyewear retailer Warby Parker added two new Chicago-area shops this month.
A Gold Coast neighborhood store opened Nov. 17 at 1123 N. State St. Another, at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, opened Monday.
In 2010, Warby Parker launched as an online-only eyeglasses shop that would mail customers frames to try on at home. It opened its first permanent retail store in New York in 2013 after finding customers wanted the option to come to a store in person.
Warby Parker’s first long-term store in the Midwest opened in spring at 851 W. Armitage Ave. The company declined to say how many stores it’s opening in the near future, but co-founder Neil Blumenthal is bullish on brick-and-mortar. He told The Wall Street Journal last month he could envision a future with 800 to 1,000 stores.
“Since we first got to Chicago in 2012, we’ve learned that our customers come to us from all over the metro area,” Blumenthal said in a news release. “We’re excited to be able to make things more convenient for them, and to get to know two new parts of town (aka two new pools of deep-dish spots — we’re taking recommendations).”
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