By the time you read this, they will be gone. The men behind the glasses, that is. Not the glasses themselves. Luckily for you and the rest of Richmond, the glasses are here to stay. On May 2, with an in-store event featuring food by Goatacado, custom-made cocktails by Saison, complimentary cones from Mister Softee, and live music, Need Supply Co. launched the only Warby Parker showroom in the entire mid-Atlantic region. Not bad for a small boutique clothing store in Carytown. But of course, that’s partly why Warby Parker chose Need Supply Co. in the first place.

Sure they’ve been featured in the New York Times and GQ, but Warby Parker is still, essentially, just getting going. And they certainly know a thing or two about going up against big competition. Their simple but ground-breaking idea of offering designer-style frames direct to the consumer at incredible prices puts them at odds with the larger and (for now) better-known brands. But that’s a challenge they welcome. And it’s a position that Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, says made Need Supply Co. “a perfect match” for their brand.

“Powerful point of view and strong commitment to community.”

But it was not just Need Supply Co. that they loved. It’s no mistake that Warby Parker has landed in RVA. “We definitely feel right at home in Richmond,” says Blumenthal, “and we like the way Richmond’s citizens have preserved the past while mixing in a contemporary attitude … all of our frames are inspired by the now-vintage glasses our grandparents wore in the 40s and 50s. Classic, timeless, but at times disruptive, a little like Patrick Henry.”

That nod to Mr. Henry is appreciated. And it wouldn’t be surprising if his name ended up on a pair of Warby Parker frames someday. Not literally of course. But each of their styles does get a specific name, and with them bringing their specs to Richmond, it only seems appropriate.

After all, if their signature pair of sunglasses can carry the name Everett ($95), then it doesn’t seem unreasonable to imagine a pair called Henry. But we’ll leave those decisions to them, of course.
For now it’s just exciting that one of their most recent decisions brought them here. While Richmond might not be on the same fashion radar as Paris or New York, it does say something positive about Virginia’s capital that Warby Parker has arrived. And when we ask Blumenthal about that, he echoes a similar sentiment, saying he thought of Richmond as “an epicenter of culture.”

Proper recognition should go to Need Supply Co. here as well. Blumenthal took special care to mention specifically that working with Need was an easy choice. “We kept hearing about Need Supply Co. from friends in the area,” he says of the period of time he and his partners were looking for the next place to take their sought-after eyewear. He went on to say that they were also drawn to Need Supply Co.’s “powerful point of view and strong commitment to community.”

An up-and-coming national brand opening only their 10th showroom right here in RVA? That’s a level of exclusivity that is new to Richmond and very welcome. And, if you were wondering, yes, Warby Parker does offer a monocle.