Eyeglass retailer Warby Parker opening Short North shop

Eyeglass purveyor Warby Parker brings its wares and fashion-forward sensibility to Columbus this weekend as it opens its first Ohio store in the likewise fashion-forward Short North.

“We have a lot of local customers, in the tens of thousands, and they’re eager to see this store open,” said Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO. “So we’re very excited to be here. So much is going on in this street. We thought this was the perfect location.”

The opening of the new store will take place Saturday at 601 N. High St., with regular store hours following — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The opening actually marks the second time the trendy eyewear retailer has had a presence in Columbus. In 2011, Warby Parker had a showroom inside the now-closed Milk Bar Boutique, which also operated in the Short North.

Founded in 2010 as an online retailer of prescription glasses and sunglasses, Warby Parker became a leader in the “clicksto-bricks” trend by opening its first physical store in 2013 in New York.

Since then, Warby Parker has expanded to more than 60 locations in North America and has announced plans to have nearly 100 stores by the end of 2018. A second Ohio location is slated to open later this year in Cleveland, Gilboa said.

The retailer’s Columbus store has a unique design, but sticks with the company’s common theme: libraries and literature.

“The name Warby Parker comes from two characters that appear in a journal by Jack Kerouac,” Gilboa said. “We display glasses on library shelving along with a variety of books that we sell. We’ve even published our own book — ’50 Ways to Lose Your Glasses.’”