I've never been happy with the opticians I've used in New Jersey. Some have been down right truculent, like when I told one that some progressive lenses had a manufacturing defect. They couldn't see it, but so what! I was the one who had to look through the glasses.
So I decided to try out a new (to me) place in downtown Englewood called Jacqueline Stanley. (JS has been there for 12 years, but this is the first time I've been in.) I was looking for something more stylish and different than the regular wire-frame glasses I usually get, and "Jacqueline Stanley" sounded very chique.
I wanted tortoise shell frames, since I've always liked an old pair of tortoise shell reading glasses I've had for about 20 years. Jacqueline Stanley had about every style of tortoise shell frame you can imagine and then some. Jacqueline, one of the two owners, goes to Europe every year to visit the optical trade shows where she finds very stylish, handmade frames from France, Italy, and England. Deffinitely not your run-of-the-mill, mass produced Chinese product! Not only did she regale me with more than a dozen choices, she also showed me some unusual titanium frames from Paris that had tortoise shell temples. The titanium frames are great, especially for rugged desert life. You can tie them in a knot without damaging them and they spring back to their original shape. They are also naturally springy, which helps keep them firmly attached to your head.
Some of my many choices at Jacqueline Stanley
After trying on many of the frames Jacqueline showed me, I finally settled on the roundish, titanium frames at the top of this post. I liked the titanium metal very much, and the tortoise temples gave it a softer, more finished look. It didn't hurt that the lenses were roundish, my historically favorite shape that also results in the thinnest lens. Pam accompanied me for the first time ever in choosing new frames, and I got her to take these photos, without which I never would have been able to see what I looked like with the frames on, since I am blind as a bat without my glasses.
I am very finicky about my prescription since I am very near-sighted and now use tri-focals. A lively discussion ensued in the shop about new computer-driven machining for progressive lenses. It made me feel so inadequate that I couldn't use them (never have been able to use progressives or contacts) that I said I felt like crying. In any case, Stan(ley), Jacqueline's business partner, is an expert optician, teaches his trade in New Jersey, and has trained many of the opticians in the area. So, I felt I was in very good hands with him.
Stan(ley) and Jacqueline (Note the stylish specs)
All in all, a very pleasurable and satisfying experience at Jacqueline Stanley. As Stan said, "No one ever feels like they had to settle when they leave Jacqueline Stanley." Highly recommended.
Jacqueline Stanley, opticians
12 East Palisade Ave.
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-541-8383
