New Warby Parker store in Sarasota has vision

Warby Parker Area Leader Tyler Carbol had a tough task March 20, when the store opened for the first time at the Mall at University Town Center.

He had to tell people they couldn't come into the store.

Due to the pandemic, the store had a maximum occupancy of 18, so people had to wait patiently outside for customers to leave.

The customers wanted to check out the new stores' collection of eyewear.

Carbol said the store was Warby Parker's 12th in Florida and the third in the region. Warby Parker has two stores in Tampa.

Besides eyewear, the store offers comprehensive eye exams, and now offers daily contact lenses. 

Warby Parker gave out "keys, wallet and sunglasses" pouches during the grand opening.

Besides limited capacity, other safety protocols the store currently is following include one-on-one guided shopping, contactless checkout and enhanced sanitation.

The store will also carry copies of "The Alphabet of Art at Warby Parker," Warby Parker’s newly launched retrospective book about the over 100 artists the brand has collaborated with around the world. 

Warby Parker was launched in 2010. For every pair of Warby Parker glasses purchased, a pair is distributed to someone in need. To date, over 8 million pairs have been distributed. Due to COVID-19, some of the company's glasses distribution has been temporarily suspended. As of April 1, 2020, for a portion of Warby Parker glasses purchased, personal protective equipment and preventative health supplies are distributed to health care workers and communities in need. 

Like all of our other store locations, we’ve designed and implemented protocols to ensure a safe in-store experience for both customers and our team, including 1-on-1 guided shopping, limited capacity, contactless checkout features, and enhanced sanitation. 

Sharing more details around the new store below, along with renderings here (final images and one-pager to come!) and the one-pager attached - I’d love to work with you on a story for this new opening closer to the opening date.