From Oil Rigs to Optics

By JoAnne Sommers

From rough and tumble oil rig worker to smooth and successful optician, Mike Elmes makes success his own.

“Edmonton” and “oil” are practically synonymous, and Mike Elmes has experienced more than one aspect of that relationship. As a former oil patch worker, he knows what it’s like to engage in manual labour for twelve hour days. But years ago, during the recession of the early 1980’s, he changed direction and decided to become an optician.

It was a family connection that drew Elmes to optical. His father, Ken Elmes, is an optician in Brantford, Ontario, and Elmes worked in his father’s store as a teenager. “My father started his optical career in 1961, when I was one year old. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a teenager, and while I enjoyed working in the store, it didn’t quite seem the thing for me at the time. “So I moved to Edmonton and became a rough neck and made good money on the rigs. But when the wells dried up so did the work. I decided it was time to make a career change. The first optical store I walked into and applied for work hired me on the spot. My apprenticeship was about to begin.”

Elmes was initially hesitant, wondering if his personality was outgoing enough to be successful in retail. “But I quickly realized I was as outgoing as I needed to be and that it wasn’t difficult to relate to the clientele.”

He took the opticianry course while working full-time, beginning with the Optical Prescription chain, owned by Imperial Optical. “I found I had good aptitude for the work. At first I was used as a floater, meaning they would put me in various stores to fill in for people who were on holidays or ill. That was good because I got to see a number of stores in operation.”

In 1987, Elmes moved to the Eye Masters chain, eventually becoming the general manager of their store at the West Edmonton Mall. “That store had the highest sales of any store in North America at the time. We were doing an amazing $4.2 million annually. It was also the first one-hour optical store in Canada.”

The next step was opening his own store with a fellow optician. Elmes explains: “We were both entrepreneurial and so we bought out a store that was in trouble and named it Jacobson Elmes Opticians. We enjoyed being independent and doing things the way we wanted to. We eventually had two successful stores and both of us worked very hard, sixty hours a week for ten years. When one of the malls we were located in closed, needless to say, so did one of our stores. It was at this time that we decided to part ways and I was faced with a decision about what to do next.

“As circumstances would have it a friend of mine, Rocky Feldman, who also happens to be an optician, mentioned that he knew of a dispensary for sale in Bonnie Doon Mall. It was really quite a simple process from there. I bought the store and renamed it Bonnie Doon Optical. That was nine years ago. I’m still happy with that decision and have not looked back. I was thrilled when Rocky came to work for me a few years after I took over the business because I then had two very experienced people ready and able to satisfy customers.”

Bonnie Doon Optical was named after the mall for the simple reason that everyone in Edmonton knew the mall. “It was a no-brainer. Every time I mention the business people automatically know where it is,” says Elmes.

The store offers mid-to-high end fashion frames from well-known brands. Elmes finds that eyewear fashions change slowly. “We’re not on the cutting edge of fashion because it’s not what our clientele want. Many people seem to gravitate to product similar in style to what they’ve always had, but then too they sometimes surprise me. I didn’t think rhinestones and crystal embellishments would go anywhere but a lot of seniors want some bling. And while wide temples continue to be popular, some people don’t like a temple that blocks their side vision, so we’ve had good success with a split temple that gives the wider look while allowing good visibility.”

Placing a lot of emphasis on lenses has also paid off for Elmes. “It is through better lens choices, coatings and other options that we can improve the client’s daily life. We never scrimp on the lenses and we’re always on the look out for new products that meet our customer’s needs at a good price point. New customers are often skeptical about our ability to really please them but once we dispense the right progressive lens and they look around and don’t feel nauseated or dizzy, they are pleasantly surprised. Existing clients are also more than pleased with how we are able to provide them on an ongoing basis with the best vision they have ever experienced. We’re developing public awareness of quality in lenses and find that customer brand loyalty is amazing. We sell lots of specialty lenses, including computer lenses.”

The value proposition at Elmes’ store is to provide high-quality frames and lenses at a mid-range price point. “We don’t do two-for-one or anything like that. Our philosophy is to provide the best at the very best price.” Elmes allows that with the current recession, “our margins have come down somewhat because we’re always working to give more back to the consumer.”

A high-end edging system at Bonnie Doon Optical helps to ensure quality control. “The fact that we do the work on site means that we almost never have a customer who can’t see properly, unless the prescription is off or they aren’t adapting well. Attention to detail makes a huge difference,” notes Elmes.

Sight testing is another aspect of service that Elmes enjoys. “We took on the Eye Logic system not because we felt that the doctors in the area weren’t serving the need, but rather to expand our scope of practice as opticians. If we have clients who can’t see very well with their new prescription we can sight test right here and try to help them. In some cases the customer saw the doctor just last year and wants a quick check to see if things have changed. At the end of the sight test we know what they prefer and how they will see with it. We send our results off to the ophthalmologist who reviews them and sends back the prescription. This adds more personal fulfillment to the job of helping people see better.”

When asked to identify a challenge to practice, Elmes notes that Internet sales of eyewear are increasing. He flatly refuses to adjust eyewear that people have purchased this way. “Buying eyewear over the Internet is comparable to purchasing prescription medication from a vending machine. A pair of eyeglasses can be good or bad depending on how they are fit. I see people coming in all the time claiming that eyeglasses they bought either over the Internet or at a poorly staffed store are the worse they’ve ever had. When I examine them, the problem is that the glasses are not fit properly. So much of this business is about the final touch, fit and understanding people’s needs. It requires feedback and communication. At Bonnie Doon we tell our customers that the glasses must be absolutely perfect for them in terms of fit and vision and if they’re not, we insist that they bring them back so we can make it right. Our expertise and keeping our promises are the keys to our success.”

Mike Elmes has every reason to be optimistic about his future and the future of the independent optician. “Our growing business demonstrates that when you provide good service at a reasonable price people will be happy and come back. That satisfaction also results in good word of mouth advertising. With the growth of the baby boomer market the numbers are looking very good over the next ten years. Boomers are demanding and that’s great for us. We are boomers too and we know what it takes to satisfy.”