Eye Glass World set to open in October

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Eye Glass World is slated to open in October in a former pizza restaurant on Battlefield Road.

The optical store will open mid-October at 1508 E. Battlefield, the former location of Mr. Gatti's restaurant, said Max Musa, vice president of Eye Glass World. The discount super-optical retailer has about 60 stores nationwide, he added.

Eye Glass World will have an in-store laboratory for making glasses within an hour and an on-site optometrist, Musa said.

"We like to call ourselves a full-service, one-stop optical shop, but we maintain a focus on discounted prices for eyewear," he added.

The stores are located in 19 states. This will be the first Missouri store. The company chose Springfield because of its demographic makeup and size, Musa said.

"Springfield is a good city because it's not the kind of city that is a big, big market, but it's really more a place where you can stand out and dominate. It's also a college town, and that's always really good for us," Musa said.

The store is 4,000 square feet and will employ 15. Though many of its positions have been filled, the store is still hiring, Musa said.

Eye Glass World has a few stores in shopping malls, but has more that are in retail strip centers or stand alone. The Springfield store is a stand-alone store.

"It really depends on the market and what's available for the best price at the time," Musa said.

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