Boro Park Snapshot: Minzer’s Optical
Without good vision, it is very hard to go through many aspects of life such as driving, davening, eating or even just crossing the street.
As a state licensed optician, Mr. Mordechai Minzer has helped thousands of people to achieve better eyesight for over four decades.
In a cozy first floor space on 48th Street just off of 9th Avenue, Mr. Minzer sees clients five days a week providing a reliable source for glasses. With hours stretching four nights a week until 7:30 pm, Mr. Minzer has ensured his availability for all who need glasses quickly.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Minzer shut down his store to protect his customers as he did not want his place of business to be a vector of infection.
Equipped with the most modern equipment, Mr. Minzer is able to measure the exact distance of the eyes in order to give an accurate reading in order to make sure that the prescription of glasses that the person came in with will fit well.
Mr. Minzer told Heshy Rubinstein from BoroPark24 that while, of course, anyone could buy a device on Amazon to measure their pupillary distance, it is important to get it evaluated at an optician because unlike home use machines, professional machines are tested, calibrated, and replaced on a more regular basis leading to a more accurate result.
After getting all of the measurements taken, or submitting the prescription from an eye doctor, there are hundreds of frames on display to choose from. With options that have plastic or metal frames, smaller or larger lenses, wider or thinner frame fronts, and shorter or longer frame sides, there certainly is an option to choose from for every man, woman, boy, or girl.
Mr. Minzer didn’t start out on 48th Street however, he began his long career in the eyeglasses business at Kohn’s Fashion Optical at 86th Street, a nationwide chain of eyeglass retailers. In that first job, Mr. Minzer saw his first real successes in the eyeglass retail business as he took a store that under many franchise owners had long struggled with negative margins and pushed the books into the black - assuring profit for the owners who had taken over shortly before he arrived. Mr. Minzer’s instigation to go into business for himself came when he asked for a raise and was offered only a miserly sum.
This experience at Kohn’s was valuable for Mr. Minzer as he moved into business for himself all the way back in 1981, providing him with intimate knowledge of not only how to run an eyeglasses business but also how to deal with customers.
Mr. Minzer told Mr. Rubinstein that he has had many interesting experiences with customers over the years and that he has received many notes and other signs of appreciation. In fact, he has so many plaques from mosdos honoring him that they don’t all fit on the wall!
Mr. Minzer said that he understands that most people have an established optician that they go to and that he doesn’t want to take away business from any other optician in Boro Park but if someone needs an emergency pair of glasses in a hurry and cheap, his store is the place to go.
Minzer's Optical is conveniently located at 907 48th Street.