I am looking for an eyeglasses place in Portland OR with a good selection of quality frames, with friendly (not overbearing) sales people.

September 4, 2012 1:11 PM

I am looking for an eyeglasses place in Portland OR with a good selection of quality frames, with low key (not overbearing) sales people.

I need a new pair of new glasses, and I am looking for some recommendations in Portland. A few years ago I was on a similar mission and seemed not to hit any good spots, either not enough choice or the sales people were too aggressive for my tastes. (Every time I see someone with glasses that I like, I will ask them where they bought them, and invariably it is from another city).

My needs are not very steep, I essentially just want a pair of femmy, contemporary cat's eye (not vintage, but with those lines, kind of librarian-ish or, I guess, a little Liz Lemon-ish).

Bonus points if it is place that lets you just buy the frame and fill the prescription elsewhere.

posted by nanook to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I absolutely can't answer your question as asked, but have you thought about looking online? I have had several good experiences with Zenni Optical.
posted by AmandaA at 1:19 PM on September 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hollywood Vintage - Selection of frames from 1910-Present. I only buy my frames from here and then get the lenses put in at Crown Optical and Safety since they will fit vintage frames and guarantee the work unlike other places that are AS-IS with fitting 3rd party frames.
posted by wcfields at 1:21 PM on September 4, 2012

I'm a huge fan of MyOptic Optical -- they are as nice as pie and have a great selection.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:43 PM on September 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Since you already know the style you're looking for, online will be far, FAR cheaper, lots of choice, and has no sales people at all. Many sites have great return policies, too.
posted by randomnity at 1:46 PM on September 4, 2012

BLINK are UTTERLY FABULOUS. Happy to leave you alone, yet super-nifty, -knowledgeable, and nice as pie. I chose two-tone glasses and asked if I could have them tinted in a gradient of both tones, from green at the top to pink at the bottom. They were like: 'Oh! what a neat idea! never done that before but, the guy who does our tinting loves a challenge, so we'll sic him on that' and it came out perfect.
posted by feral_goldfish at 2:46 PM on September 4, 2012

Blink. I have not been to them, but they carry Moscot, among other lines.
posted by Danf at 2:49 PM on September 4, 2012

Jinx!
posted by Danf at 2:49 PM on September 4, 2012

St. Johns vision center is worth the drive, no matter where in PDX you are. Great, friendly staff, great selection. Wonderful service.
posted by BrooksCooper at 3:43 PM on September 4, 2012

My best friend, Tina, runs the optical at Uptown. She is an amazing, customer first optician who has ruined me for all other opticians. She has this talent for helping people find exactly what they want even when they don't know what that is. She's ABO certified and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. If you go, tell her Kimberly sent you!
posted by Kimberly at 3:50 PM on September 4, 2012

Seconding MyOptical, best experience in 30 years of choosing glasses. Great Docs as well.
posted by nenequesadilla at 4:45 PM on September 4, 2012

As a side note, the optometrist from MyOptic (mentioned above) once arrived late for an eye exam we had scheduled (at an atypical time, to be fair), and, noticing my concern over whether I could get to work on time, gave me a ride. Totally above and beyond service.
posted by redsparkler at 5:10 PM on September 4, 2012

Then again, the folks at Reynolds Optical have given me amazing customer service when I was picking out frames; they're not incredibly cheap, but they were so much easier to deal with than a cheaper shop I had visited before, and have been great about readjusting my frames whenever I get them slightly askew.
posted by redsparkler at 5:12 PM on September 4, 2012

MyOptic! Great neighborhood presence and great service. They don't have zillions of frames but their selection has worked well for us in the past.
posted by TomSophieIvy at 9:12 PM on September 4, 2012