Garrett Leight California Optical, a Los Angeles-based eyewear retailer, has softly opened at 393 Hayes St., joining a cluster of eyewear stores already in the neighborhood.
The new shop is located just a few doors down from Warby Parker, which opened its store on Hayes Street in November; it also joins RetroSpecs, which launched a shop on Gough and Grove in January, and Through The Hayes Optometry, which has been on Hayes Street since at least 2007.
Garrett Leight, the son of Oliver Peoples founder Larry Leight, first launched his line in 2010. His first physical store opened in Los Angeles' La Brea neighborhood in 2012, and the new Hayes Valley shop marks the third Garrett Leight location. A fourth shop is opening up in New York City in November.
393 Hayes is unrecognizable from its previous colorful iteration as Polanco, which moved around the corner to Gough Street in May. Light wooden floors and walls are accented with white shelves and tables; in the corner by the window, a large box full of succulents adds color to the room.
At first glance, the shop seems relatively spartan, but there are over 500 different frames stocked in the shop. A hundred of those are customizable options, allowing customers to select sunglasses, opticals or clip-on shades in an array of colors and styles. Prices begin at $285, and shipping on custom eyewear takes one to two weeks depending on the prescription and detail.
Garrett Leight's San Francisco manager Adam tells us that all the frames are inspired by "soulful individuals." The Harding design, one of the inaugural four designs of the line, was inspired by the eyewear of playwright Arthur Miller; the Lucille draws its influence from 1980s starlets. There's also a limited-run of a San Francisco-specific series: 50 frames are available for purchase, and all are made in San Francisco itself.
The shop will celebrate its grand opening on October 1st from 6-8pm, with refreshments on offer. The party will then move over to Cafe du Nord, where Garrett Leight and company host an open party that will run from 10pm-2am, with drinks on the house (update: the company has informed us that despite being informed otherwise, "drinks aren't on the house at the after party").
The store will be open on Hayes Street from 11am-7pm Monday through Saturday, and 12-6pm on Sundays.
