Elegance Eyewear Boutique with Jennifer Soh

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We were lucky enough to spend some time with Jennifer Soh from Elegance Eyewear Boutique, here is her story.


When did you start your business / how long have you been operating?

We opened our family run, independent business in Campbelltown in 1994.

Why did you start your business? 

We wanted to provide the community with exceptional customer service, not generic commercial based optometry.

Why did you choose to open in Campbelltown? What do you love about Campbelltown?

Although there were a number of optometry stores already operating in Campbelltown, we believed that we could provide unique value to the community.

When we first opened our store, Campbelltown was predominately still surrounded by country-side - this is one of the reasons that attracted us to open our store here. We also knew that Campbelltown would be a growth area.

Tell us about your business?

I originally migrated from Singapore, where I worked as a beautician, in 1986. My husband's profession was optical based, when I moved to Australia, I decided to change careers and move into the field of optometry.

Before opening my own optometry store, I worked as a merchandising manager for six years with an optical chain store. I am a certified optical dispenser, which means that I specifically specialise in spectacle frames and lenses. Not all optical dispensers are certified, however, all of the optical dispensers at our store are accredited by the Australian Dispensing Opticians Association. Our optometrist is accredited by the Optometry Association Australia.

We have now been operating in Campbelltown for more than 20 years, and have been a finalist in the Local Business Awards for 'Outstanding Specialised Retail Business' for more than 10 years.

Our commitment to our customers, and promise of exceptional customer service, means that we now have families who have been coming to our store for three generations - parent, child and now grandchildren! The loyalty from our customers is one of the most rewarding reasons for running our business. We have customers travelling from all over Sydney and Greater Sydney areas.

At our store you can select your glasses and take them home with you on the same day! We have a laboratory and equipment onsite to fit and cut lenses on the spot. We carry a range of stock, so there is no need to wait for your product to come in. Our standard wait time is about half an hour, or up to two hours for a customised job.

We have our own Australian-wide coating patent – there is no other optometry store in the country that offers this coating.

Our boutique is also the largest stockist in Australia of the Maui Jim eyewear brand, and were also the first optometry store to stock their brand 18 years ago.

We also have single vision rimless glasses available, and offer customised rimless glasses cut to your desired shape - imagine your child in Mickey Mouse rimmed spectacles.

What is something special or unique about your business? 

Did you know that 1 out of 70 people will have macular degeneration? It is the leading cause of blindness.

At our business, we not only provide you with advice on spectacles or lenses to suit your everyday needs, we also educate people who come into our store about common eye diseases and how to prevent eye deterioration - it is important to us to take care of our customers.

We have an internal TV that plays an educational program on the leading causes of blindness. The program shows what it would be like if you had macular degeneration, cataracts or glaucoma – you get to experience what your vision would be like with these diseases.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with Jennifer Soh from Elegance Eyewear Boutique, here is her story.


When did you start your business / how long have you been operating?

We opened our family run, independent business in Campbelltown in 1994.

Why did you start your business? 

We wanted to provide the community with exceptional customer service, not generic commercial based optometry.

Why did you choose to open in Campbelltown? What do you love about Campbelltown?

Although there were a number of optometry stores already operating in Campbelltown, we believed that we could provide unique value to the community.

When we first opened our store, Campbelltown was predominately still surrounded by country-side - this is one of the reasons that attracted us to open our store here. We also knew that Campbelltown would be a growth area.

Tell us about your business?

I originally migrated from Singapore, where I worked as a beautician, in 1986. My husband's profession was optical based, when I moved to Australia, I decided to change careers and move into the field of optometry.

Before opening my own optometry store, I worked as a merchandising manager for six years with an optical chain store. I am a certified optical dispenser, which means that I specifically specialise in spectacle frames and lenses. Not all optical dispensers are certified, however, all of the optical dispensers at our store are accredited by the Australian Dispensing Opticians Association. Our optometrist is accredited by the Optometry Association Australia.

We have now been operating in Campbelltown for more than 20 years, and have been a finalist in the Local Business Awards for 'Outstanding Specialised Retail Business' for more than 10 years.

Our commitment to our customers, and promise of exceptional customer service, means that we now have families who have been coming to our store for three generations - parent, child and now grandchildren! The loyalty from our customers is one of the most rewarding reasons for running our business. We have customers travelling from all over Sydney and Greater Sydney areas.

At our store you can select your glasses and take them home with you on the same day! We have a laboratory and equipment onsite to fit and cut lenses on the spot. We carry a range of stock, so there is no need to wait for your product to come in. Our standard wait time is about half an hour, or up to two hours for a customised job.

We have our own Australian-wide coating patent – there is no other optometry store in the country that offers this coating.

Our boutique is also the largest stockist in Australia of the Maui Jim eyewear brand, and were also the first optometry store to stock their brand 18 years ago.

We also have single vision rimless glasses available, and offer customised rimless glasses cut to your desired shape - imagine your child in Mickey Mouse rimmed spectacles.

What is something special or unique about your business? 

Did you know that 1 out of 70 people will have macular degeneration? It is the leading cause of blindness.

At our business, we not only provide you with advice on spectacles or lenses to suit your everyday needs, we also educate people who come into our store about common eye diseases and how to prevent eye deterioration - it is important to us to take care of our customers.

We have an internal TV that plays an educational program on the leading causes of blindness. The program shows what it would be like if you had macular degeneration, cataracts or glaucoma – you get to experience what your vision would be like with these diseases.