The first year of trading has reinforced everything Barry Hutcheon believed when he opened Mika & Me on Park Road.
The Glasgow optician set out to improve an already excellent marketplace with new technology and a new level of service.
And customers and the growing list of suppliers have given their approval.
Barry said: “Making great glasses is a complex process but really customers are not interested in the process; what they want is a first-class product at an affordable price and an experience which is relaxed and enjoyable.
“It’s probably one of the reasons we have so many Asian customers who are used to this level of precision and quality lens in their home countries."
Japanese
Barry set out to change the face of the High Street using a concept unique to the UK market, becoming the first optician in Britain to offer Japanese aspheric lenses as standard.
These lenses dominate the market in Asia because they are thinner, flatter and lighter.
But Mika & Me brings a whole lot more to the experience of buying glasses to a public who increasingly demand care for the environment as well as themselves.
That’s why this opticians encourages people to bring in their old frames, glasses or sunglasses, so they can renew and retrofit them with the new prescription.
Making great glasses is a complex process but really customers are not interested in the process; what they want is a first-class product at an affordable price and an experience which is relaxed and enjoyable.
Barry Hutcheon
And if looks is your thing, Mika & Me made the final in the UK Fashion Optician of the Year in 2021 and brands now court the business to showcase their latest designs.
The current collection includes Fendi, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Celine, Porsche, Land Rover, and McLaren, along with Scottish brands such as Finlay & Co and TENs.
All lenses are digitally fitted so the optical centres seamlessly match customer physiology for a perfect optical fit. That means the lenses are great for your eyes and come with no headaches.
All this is done super fast and customers don’t have to wait two-three weeks for their new glasses.
Single vision lenses are ready in as little as 30 minutes and varifocals in four days.
Barry said: “We think our meticulous but friendly approach and state-of-the-art technology can change the way people buy and enjoy their glasses as it has done in Asia.”
