The eyes have it: Fichte Eyeglass Gallery marks 1st anniversary

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

When you think “gallery,” the word “art” may come to mind.

When the staffers at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare thinks “gallery,” they envision the artwork of creating eyeglasses.

The company’s Eyewear Gallery is celebrating its first anniversary with a “Spring Fling” event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at 2825 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst.

During this special event, the public is invited to browse a vast selection of glasses and sunglasses to update their look for spring.

Cataract and Lasik surgery is also done at the eyecare complex.

Gordon Sage, director of operations for Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare, shows the displays of glasses at the company’s Eyewear Gallery – which is celebrating its first anniversary with a “Spring Fling.” The event, open to the public from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., is Saturday, April 25, at 2825 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. (Submitted photo)

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Kathy Otto, director of marketing, said that more than 10 frame vendors will be in-house.

“People who sell eyeglasses and frames are coming from all different companies” with their full lines, she said. “We’ll have thousands and thousands of pieces of eyewear for people to look at and shop.” Otto said there are frames available there for every budget.

Doctors will be there, as well as nine opticians. Also, you can get an eye exam on the spot; there will be special discounts on glasses; there will be prizes and giveaways; and refreshments will be served.

The company history

The company’s Amherst location opened in 2000.

“We had a very small, 300-foot-square optical boutique, and it was just there as an added value – or a little extra service for our patients who had cataract surgery,” Otto said. “When you have cataract surgery, your glasses prescription changes. So, rather than have you leave the building and go somewhere else, we just put a little shop in to make it easier for the patients, because a lot of the patients are older and it’s a pain for them to travel.

“Then over the years, the need for more options grew, and we tried to expand it a little within our footprint. But we didn’t have the space.”

“So, last year, we started to take over a larger part of the building. We took out some walls, we renovated, and now we took our 300-square-foot optical space to more of a 1,500-square-foot space,” Otto said. “In order to serve the public properly, we wanted to brand it and let everyone know it’s got its own name – its own identity.”

Licensed optician Bryce Bailey stands near a display of ILLA glasses frames at the Eyewear Gallery at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare. (Submitted photo)

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Eyeglass Gallery ‘well-received’

Now it’s called the Eyewear Gallery at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare. It has its own logo, address, and exterior door. It can even have the ability to have its own business hours, beyond the time that the practice is open, Otto said.

“It’s been really well-received,” she said of the Eyewear Gallery.

“Our grand-opening a year ago was May 10, and it was phenomenal.”

People came “just to see something new and get excited about what we offer,” she said. “We have a lot of unique lines here that no other people in the area offer, so if you’re looking for something different, we have a lot of that. We also like to get a lot of cutting-edge pieces in – things that nobody else has the full line for – so there’s more options here, because we now have more space.”

More than 10 eyeglass vendors on site

The eyeglass lines that will be represented at the “Spring Fling” event include Prada, Vogue, Guess, Alain Mikli, ILLA, Tiffany, Polo, Alexander McQueen, Hollister and Isaac Mizrahi.

“Growing the Eyewear Gallery into what it has become over the past 12 months has been wonderful for us,” Otto noted.

Virtual try-ons

Otto said new online technology has given eyeglass customers a new way to try before they buy.

“We actually added a wonderful new component called virtual try-on,” she said. “So, if you’re our patient and you have an appointment coming up, say in a week from now, you’ll get an email that will say … ‘Please take a look at this link and you can shop for your eyewear in advance.’ ”

Customers can browse through the eyewear and view all the choices.

“You can actually put them on, virtually. The camera just shows your face, and you can swipe different glasses. It’s so cool and so modern,” Otto said. “You really get a very accurate picture of what these glasses would look like.”

She explained you click on the ones you like and your choices go to a virtual tray that generates a message to the staff. Then, those frames are ready for you to try on after your eye exam.

“In order to properly expand, we not only expanded our footprint, we expanded the ability to offer this new virtual try-on,” Otto said.

Visitors browse eyeglass vendors’ tables at the 2025 grand-opening of the Eyewear Gallery at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare. The facility is celebrating its first anniversary with a “Spring Fling” Saturday, April 25, at 2825 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. The public is invited to attend. There will be special discounts, prizes and refreshments. (Submitted photo)

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Remote eye exams

Another new feature added in the past year is remote eye exams. The patient comes in to the facility and get preoperative pre-testing from the local staff, then has an eye exam conducted remotely by one of the many doctors available from across the country. There’s another benefit to the remote exam: You don’t have to get your pupils dilated. Instead, you have a retinal photo taken, so you don’t have that extra wait before you can drive home. That photo becomes part of your chart.

“The patients like it a little more,” Otto said. “It’s quick; you don’t have to schedule it as far in advance; and you get to see a photo of what the back of your eye looks like.”

If you prefer the traditional exam, there are six staff optometrists available.

Attendees to the “Spring Fling” event can have a remote eye exam or they can bring in their outside prescriptions and get them filled and have their glasses in about a week.

Smart glasses take photos, play music

Also on display for the “Spring Fling” will be virtual “smart glasses” from Oakley and Meta. These, created through a collaboration with Facebook, are equipped with tiny, built-in cameras. Otto explained that, when you are bike riding, you can record your trip with the glasses. In activities such as skiing or biking, you can listen to music playing on your cell phone through the earpiece of the smart glasses. They also carry Ray-Ban smart glasses with similar features.

The price for these high-tech glasses starts at $300 with no prescription. They would just be sunglasses with all the extra equipment. To incorporate a prescription, the price would go up from there, Otto said.

Contact the Eyewear Gallery at 716-564-2641. For more information, go to https://www.fichte.com/.