Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Sollars.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began in the optical industry in 1983 starting as an optician, then progressing to surgical assistant and finally ophthalmic photographer before I redirected my energies to my goal of owning my own business. I moved to downtown Chicago from the western suburbs in the early 90s and worked for a few years for a now-defunct group of several stores owned by a nasty old perv who was nevertheless a gifted retailer. While working that gig, I used what I observed to hone my penchant for display and my passion for customer service while researching neighborhoods and eventually specific spaces in which to begin my own retail adventure. I opened my first store in 1997 about 50 yards north of Wicker Park’s ground zero. Within a few months, a person came in to my store clutching a copy of AAA’s “Home & Away” travel magazine–my store got free national press! My then-partner and I parted ways and I moved my concept over to Milwaukee Avenue on the other side of the big intersection, where I created Eye Want and established a proud record of curating a wide range of distinctive, quality eyewear. My quest has distinguished me from other retailers because I have always offered only eyewear NOT controlled by the European eyewear oligopoly that dominates the industry and is behind 95% of the frames on American faces. My frames do not display brand names because brands are for cattle, not spirited individuals, and spirited individuals are my target market. I am particularly proud to support the few small American eyewear producers. After the character of Wicker Park changed markedly, and not for the better, I moved 6 blocks south to Chicago Avenue in Westtown, where I am developing a new retail concept, Eyepothecary, which will focus on delivering compression health wear, and related orthotics to sooth, support and shape human bodies in need of a boost.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Shockingly, the way so many men treat not just me, but women in general in business. That anachronism has presented constant obstacles and battles that are just plain disgusting in a modern world. Also: bankers. And I personally believe that if there is a Hell, there is a special place there for merchant services vendors.
Please tell us about Eye Want.
Eye Want features the widest selection of the world’s most distinctive frames from around the world. We select only frames not controlled by the European eyewear oligopoly that totally dominates the American market. Eye Want is proud to offer exotic materials, unusual shapes and colors, niche manufacturers, including some of the world’s most rhinestone-encrusted eyewear masterpieces from France and Italy. Eye Want carries frames from several of the very few contemporary American manufacturers, as well as the Midwest’s largest selection of uncirculated vintage frames, many of which are American-made.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Reading novels.
Pricing:
- Eyewear frames begin at $150 and go to Luxury
Contact Info:
- Address: Annette Sollars, owner and eyewear dominatrix
- Website: eyewanteyewear.com
- Phone: (773) 782-1744
- Email: annette@eyewanteyewear.com
Image Credit:
All images copyright of Eye Want, Inc.
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Tom V.
May 2, 2019 at 6:43 pm
I love everything about Eye Want, particularly Annette. I have shopped there for at least 20 years and have bought many pairs of smartly designed frames. The inventory is amazing and Annette’s attention to detail and helpful recommendations are spot-on. She just knows which frames look good on her customers.