Father and daughter owners of The Village Eye Works, Bob and Steph Royden, are native North Central Phoenix residents (photo by Trudy Thompson-Shumaker).
Bob Royden is easy to spot in a crowd. He’s the guy with the coolest glasses in the room. See somebody else with cool specs? Chances are, they got them at The Village Eye Works.
Bob and his family have been in the eyeglass biz throughout the Valley for almost 50 years. He and his daughter, Steph, own The Village Eye Works on 7th Street in North Central Phoenix, and they have a second location at Tatum and Shea Boulevard.
Bob, Steph and their team are known for fitting the toughest customers out there.
“We really like to take care of people who need multi-focal lenses,” he said. “They may be frustrated by being unable to see as well as they should, and we can often improve their vision with properly made and fitted lenses. We like the challenges.”
The location on 7th Street has a full finishing lab, where lenses are precisely made to fit the customer’s needs. The machinery is driven by high-tech software that guides the technician to produce lenses that are made with precision and skill, and they are made of highest quality materials.
But the first step in making glasses that deliver clear vision is to be fitted by one of the experienced team members.
“We measure very carefully, whether we’re making single vision or multi-focal vision glasses. We don’t do eye exams or prescribe – your optometrist or ophthalmologist will do that. We’re happy to call your doctor and get a copy of your prescription, then make your glasses,” he added.
Steph points out that the shops feature “classic and artsy frames – and everything in between.” She pulls examples from the hundreds of frames on display and encourages a visitor to “have fun trying them on!” She and her dad are honest with customers.
“If a frame won’t be comfortable, or if it doesn’t fit their face, we let them know. But, ultimately, of course, their glasses are their choice.”
Besides loving a challenge, Bob is still touched when he remembers his favorite customer.
“I was introduced to a little boy, maybe about seven years old. He had never worn glasses, but his mom, who was single and struggling financially, had been told by the school nurse that he needed them,” Bob recalled.” It was such a privilege to help him see. When he put them on, he kept exclaiming at what he could finally see.”
Bob, always smiling, paused to wipe a tear as he remembered the joy of the little guy and his mom. “That was many years ago and I think of them often.”
Steph remembers a terminally ill man with brain tumors that caused extreme double vision.
“His wife heard about us from his ophthalmologist, and she asked if we could make his glasses with strong prismatic correction and our answer, of course, was ‘yes!’ Upon receipt of his new glasses, he started to cry because he could actually see and told his wife if he weren’t already married, he would ask if he could marry me! He made all of us, including his wife, laugh. He has since passed, but I think of him so often. What a very cool experience to provide him the gift of sight in his final days. His family continues to shop with us.”
Forty-plus years of success in the competitive vision wear business has taught the Roydens a thing or two: Never prejudge your customers. Listen to them and THEN help them find what they are looking for; Do your job to the best of your ability – every single day; Always say yes first, because you can always say no later. Try to help, no matter what the request is; Be part of the community. Get involved and give people a sense of community and at home feeling in the shop; and be kind. No matter what. Always be kind.
Asked how the business came to be known as The Village Eye Works, Bob told the story of how he and his wife, Sue, who is now deceased, went to the Phoenix Public Library and looked through phone books to get ideas.
“It was long before the internet, so we browsed phone books and discussed the feel we wanted our name to convey. The concept of a ‘village’ kept coming up – we wanted customers to feel comfortable here, and to know they are supported by a staff that cares very deeply about their vision and how they feel about themselves. So, we came up with The Village Eye Works.”
Life, including finding the perfect pair of glasses, indeed takes a village. Learn more about the company at www.thevillageeyeworks.com.
