Portland Gets Maine’s First Warby Parker Eyewear Store

If you've ever worn glasses, you know how expensive they can be. Then came along Warby Parker.

Warby Parker started as an online alternative to expensive glasses. But now, according to Mainebiz, they have over 270 stores in the US and Canada and Northern New England is getting their first one in Portland, Maine's Old Port.

Why is Warby Parker coming to Maine a big deal?

If you wear glasses, it's a big deal. I own a couple of pairs of Warby Parker glasses, and there were a couple of reasons: price and style. That's the reason Warby Parker was born.

According to the Warby Parker website,

Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: Glasses are too expensive.

Our founders were students when one of them lost his glasses on a backpacking trip. The cost of replacing them was so high that he spent the first semester of grad school without them, squinting and complaining. (We don't recommend this.)

It turns out there's a simple explanation. The eyewear industry is dominated by a single company that has been able to keep prices artificially high while reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options.

Warby Parker was started to create an alternative. By circumventing traditional channels, designing glasses in-house, and engaging with customers directly, we're able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear at a fraction of the going price.

We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket.

When is Maine's first Warby Parker opening?

They are shooting for early 2025 at 184 Middle Street in Portland's Old Port. The store will also feature artwork by a Maine artist. Feel good about your glasses too, because for every pair they sell, they also distribute a pair to someone who needs them. So far, they've donated over 15 million pairs of glasses. Now that's the way to run a business.