Sterling Optical is a

franchised Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

retail optical chain headquartered in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

. Its parent company is Emerging Vision, whose

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

is Glenn Spina.Company Overview of Emerging Vision Inc.

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

, retrieved July 20, 2014.Emerging Vision
retrieved July 20, 2014.History
Sterling Optical, retrieved July 20, 2014.

History

Sterling Optical opened in 1914 with a single store in the financial district of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1954, a second location opened in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1966, Sterling Optical acquired IPCO, a retail optical chain in the northeastern United States. The chain grew to 20 stores by 1970 and to 65 by 1975. Over the next 5 years, the chain grew to almost 130 stores. In 1992, the company emerged from bankruptcy after being purchased by Cohen Fashion Optical, and was reorganized and incorporated in New York and renamed Sterling Vision Inc., with stores doing business as Sterling Optical.Warren Strugatch
"Head of Optical Chain Steps Aside as President"
L.I. @ WORK, ''The New York Times'', January 21, 2001. Emerging Vision was created as the parent company at the same time. The company has since grown by both acquisitions and franchising. In 1993 it acquired the Site for Sore Eyes chain in California, and with it VCC (Vision Centers of California),Emerging Vision Inc.: BusinessArchived copy
Yahoo Edgar online, 1999, retrieved July 20, 2014. a specialized healthcare maintenance organization licensed by the California Department of Corporations that operates under the tradename "Sterling VisionCare", usually adjacent to a Sterling Optical location. In 1996 the company acquired Vision Centers of America. In the 1990s it moved into online retailing. , the company has more than 125 Sterling locations in the United States and the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

, plus 40 Site for Sore Eyes locations in California. In 1996, the company opened two

lasik LASIK or Lasik (''laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis''), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism, since ...

centers named Insight Laser Centers, one in New York and the other in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. These locations have since ceased operations. Sterling Optical began using cartoon character

Mr. Magoo Mr. Magoo (known by his full name: J. Quincy Magoo) is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical ...

in advertising in 2005.Maria Puente
"Farsighted DVDs bring back myopic Mr. Magoo"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', June 1, 2010.

References

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External links

Sterling Optical

Site for Sore Eyes
Companies based in New York City American companies established in 1914 Retail companies established in 1914 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992 Eyewear companies of the United States 1914 establishments in New York City