TR PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Real Optics VP Kami Kinney, floating optician Jazmine Crilly and optician Brisel Davalos pose for a photo inside the new Eyemart Optical Outlet located at 2414 S. Center St. Ste. 202 in Marshalltown.
Eyemart, an Iowa-based chain of optometry clinics, has been open at the former Papa Murphy’s Pizza site near the Marshalltown Mall since early October, but employees are excited to fully show off the new location with an upcoming ribbon cutting. and open house on Tuesday. , November 29th.
Kami Kinney, vice president of Eyemart’s parent company, Real Optics, said they began considering opening a Marshalltown location about three years ago, as their closest clinics were previously in Ames, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Due to personal connections to the people who live in the city, Kinney heard about Papa Murphy’s old space and began shooting from there.
According to Kinney, the first month or so has been a “very soft opening” while staff were being trained, and they didn’t want to overwhelm them right away. However, now that they are a bit more established, she is ready to spread the Eyemart name to the public and reach more potential patients.
“The biggest thing we’ve noticed, even in the short time we’ve been here, is that there aren’t many exams available. People wait long periods of time for eye exams, so we have the ability to do eye exams almost every day,” Kinney said. “So that’s a big thing for us… We’re not trying to disrupt business here, but there are so many other cities around here that this is the central location they go to.”
Another key perk at Eyemart is that one of the opticians, MHS grad Brisel Davalos, is bilingual, and Kinney said they run the gamut, from relatively inexpensive glasses that cost $50 to $500 a pair.
Eyemart will be open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5:30 pm and on Saturdays by appointment. Kinney is excited to grow the business in Marshalltown and said the people have been “incredible” so far. The ribbon cutting will take place at 4:30 pm on November 29 and the open house will continue all day.
For more information about Eyemart, call 641-354-5690, visit eyemartopticaloutlet.com or visit us at 2414 S. Center St. Ste. 202.
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Contact Robert Maharry
at 641-753-6611 or
rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.
