Charmed Life

Warby Parker Opens in Harbor East

Eyewear designer offers exclusive Baltimore inspired shades.

Everyone’s favorite socially conscious eyewear brand, Warby Parker, is the latest addition to Harbor East’s booming luxury district. The new store, nestled between Sassanova and the recently opened Brooks Brothers, will be the brand’s only retail location in the area, offering customers immediate access to its designer frames.

“Baltimore to some extent is in the blood of the family,” says one of the companies co-founders Neil Blumenthal, referring to other co-founder Jeff Raider, a Johns Hopkins alum. “The city has such a rich literary history and Warby Parker actually comes from two early Jack Kerouac characters—Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker. The brand stands for fun, creativity, and doing good in the world and we always felt that writers best represent that.”

The store even pays homage to our very own macabre writer with their cutting edge “point of everything” system, also known as POE. The application will run off of iPad minis that will be located in the store and are connected to the company’s backend, making it easy to access customer records, order history, and prescriptions. For indecisive shoppers, POE will also allow you to bookmark images of yourself in frames you like to show to friends and family, and will immediately send you a formatted email with an add to cart button so you can finish the transaction at home.

The Harbor East store has a traditional university library feel with the walls lined with classic book shelving containing the designer frames, as well as a reference desk where you can receive customer assistance. To keep up with the literary theme, the store also has books by independent publishers for sale and a cushy seating area to sit back and relax while browsing.

The store will host a grand opening party on April 30 with treats and coffee from Woodberry Kitchen and an exclusive pair of sunglasses only available at this location.

“The inspiration was Baltimore being a city with a harbor and we thought the crystal frame really fit in with that world and the blue mirrored lens matched that with a nautical nod,” says Blumenthal. “It allows us to create something special for the community we are joining.”