The corner of Gough and Grove is heating up, with French lingerie store Eres opening up shop last week. Now, we've got the first word on Eres' neighbor, with 475 Gough Street set to become home to RetroSpecs & Co., an LA-based eyewear shop with a mission to "preserve and share the revolutionary designs and unparalleled quality of early modern eyewear manufactured during the 1870s-1970s."
The company, which specializes in antique eyewear restoration, has a Los Angeles flagship boasting an old captain's chest full of over 3,000 antique eyewear designs, and they've already established a second outpost in Las Vegas. "San Francisco will be our third location and the closest to our hearts," Creative Director Marya Francis told us. "I grew up in Berkeley and my husband/partner and founder of RetroSpecs originally started the company in SF but thought he might do more prop business and so moved to Los Angeles."
Francis says that the company scouted San Francisco for two years before finding the Hayes Valley location. "We believe the culture in the Bay Area will appreciate the quiet branding (no big Chanel CC's on the glasses!) and the ability to custom fit most frames in our store for maximum comfort," she said, noting that a seasoned optician will be on hand to ensure the highest quality optics, especially when it comes to working with the vintage frames made from 100-year-old wire, buffalo horn and everything in between that comprises the company's collection.
We'll let you know when RetroSpecs opens its doors. Until then, let this serve as a helpful reminder to schedule your next eye exam.
