Optical Illusion
California eyewear brand sets sights on Dallas for first Texas store
Seeing is believing. And what you’ll see come fall 2017 is a brand-new optical store in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood. Garrett Leight California Optical will open its fifth freestanding retail store — and first Texas location — at 3109 Knox St., next to the Apple store.
The store is a direct result of a highly successful pop-up at Forty Five Ten earlier this year, where GLCO proved extremely popular with shoppers.
“I’ve always felt that there was a place for GLCO in Dallas, especially after becoming more familiar with the area and the culture,” says Garrett Leight in a release. “There’s definitely an appreciation for well-made, classic products, and we are honored to launch in such a great city for our first store in Texas.”
In keeping with its name, the Dallas GLCO location will sport a California vibe, with Portland and Los Angeles-based architecture firm West of West spearheading the design, which will include built-in display cases, a collection of custom-designed movable furniture and planters, and, most importantly, a very unique lighting system.
"We were inspired by the work of James Turrell, and the relaxed light created by long summer sunsets," say West of West founders Jai Kumaran and Clayton Taylor. “The design of the space captures that feeling through the use of a color-changing light installation and a ceiling 'cloud' that floats overhead, transforming the space into an immersive atmosphere."
The store will also include a lab for on-demand customization and one-hour prescriptions. And, customers can choose to have their lenses custom dyed in one-of-a-kind tinted hues with a frame of their choosing.
Garrett Leight was founded in Venice Beach, California, in 2011. A year later, it opened its LA flagship store, and in 2015, it expanded with two more locations, one in San Francisco and one in New York City.
Braniff Airlines flight attendants decked out in stylish uniforms.Courtesy photo