Wisconsin gets its 1st Warby Parker

Store set to open Friday in Third Ward

Fashion eyewear company Warby Parker will open its first Wisconsin store Friday in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

The store, located at 241 N. Broadway, will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Warby Parker, known for selling inexpensive prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, mostly online, will stock a large selection of frames at the store.

“We looked all over Milwaukee for the perfect location, and we’ve found it in the Third Ward. We’re particularly excited about the incredible theaters and galleries that we’ll get to call neighbors there. We know we’re in great company,” Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker cofounder and co-chief executive, said in a statement Tuesday.

To celebrate the opening, Warby Parker said it will debut a pair of limited-edition, Third Ward-exclusive sunglasses: Baker style in striped sassafras with flash-mirrored Pacific blue lenses.

The interior of the store features light oak shelving, brass detailing and books, the company said. Behind a marble reference desk is an original mural by artist Nate Harris, which the company said is a specialto-Milwaukee piece.

Warby Parker, which uses apps and computers to help customers select glasses and ships up to five pairs of frames for customers to try on at home, has been adding brickand-mortar locations.

The New York-based company, started in 2010, now has almost 60 retail locations in the United States and Canada and more than 1,000 employees.