London Inc. April 2022 - 14

Upfront Retail
A FORWARDLOOKING
VISION
In a landscape with plenty of competition
and choice, a premium eyewear boutique
continues to innovate and evolve
CHARLES LEE KNOWS how to celebrate an anniversary.
After starting in 1997 with a humble shop near Fanshawe
College, hidden from potential walk-in customers, Lee and
his family will mark 25 years in business this year with a
variety of events and new ventures.
Specializing in high-end and designer eyewear, Cross
Eyed Optical (www.crosseyedoptical.com) is named after
a Bible verse, a nod to Lee's faith. He needed a lot of faith 25
years ago when he came to London to start his own business,
after a decade working for others in Toronto.
" I remember pulling a stroller up the steps to our Second
Street apartment, thinking I had to make this work. I got a
$10,000 loan to buy the equipment we needed, but the first
few years were not a huge success. "
He and wife, Helen, had one baby, the first of three children
they would have in the early days of the business, delivering
a mixture of joy and pressure to succeed.
The breakthrough happened when Lee moved the business
to Richmond Row in 1999. The synergy of his personal
service approach with actual customers made things click.
After 16 years downtown, he moved again in 2015, this time
14|londonincmagazine.ca|APRIL 2022
: Cross Eyed Optical owner, Charles Lee
: Lee and son, Joseph
to a brand-new space on Wonderland Road, just north of
Oxford. He's two doors down from Sunset Grill, where he
enjoys a hearty breakfast several times a month.
" SERVICE IS IMPORTANT, BUT
THAT ALONE DOESN'T KEEP
CUSTOMERS. YOU HAVE TO
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP, AND
WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT
FOR 25 YEARS " -Charles Lee
Joining him for breakfast on a recent chilly spring morning
was son, Joseph, 26, the baby in that stroller going up the
stairs. He joined the business in 2017, works full-time and
will earn his optician licence this spring. Chalk that up as the
http://www.crosseyedoptical.com
London Inc. April 2022

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