Alexandria Living Magazine
Eyewear store Warby Parker will open its doors Monday at 805 King St., in Old Town Alexandria. The store will feature frames, lens cloths, eyewear cases, prescription checks (see more about that below), frame adjustments and more.
Prescription Check is a mobile health service that allows eligible users to update their prescription. The app can be used at home or with the help of a store advisor in the store.
"We're thrilled to be opening our doors on King Street," said Neil Blumenthal, a co-owner and co-CEO of the company, in a news release. "This historic neighborhood is home to many shops and museums we admire, and we can't wait to join the community."
The company will celebrate the grand opening of the Alexandria store Saturday, Oct. 6; it is the company's second location in Virginia, following the 2016 opening of a Warby Parker store at Tysons. In all, the company counts 75 locations and more than 1,400 employees.
The hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at the King Street location.
Warby Parker will feature a customized mural by D.C.-based artist Matt Chase at its Old Town Alexandria store. Another unique twist for Alexandria: The store is offering an exclusive pair of sunglasses with a rounded-square silhouette, Topper 16, in jet black with flash mirrored iridescent lenses. This pair is only available in the Old Town store.
The company got its start eight years ago, when four friends from the Wharton School of Business wondered why buying glasses was so expensive and oftentimes tedious. They set out to make the whole thing easy, affordable and way more fun. By circumventing traditional channels, designing glasses in-house and engaging with customers directly, "we’re able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear starting at $95 — a fraction of the going price," the company noted in a news release.
The company was founded with a $2,500 seed investment from Wharton School’s Venture Initiation Program, and reached its billion dollar mark with a valuation of $1.2 billion as of April 2015. The company distributes a free pair of glasses for every pair of glasses sold.
The Old Town location was formerly home to Duchess M., a women's clothing boutique.
