David Shanahan Optometrists

This place sells a delightful range of glasses and sunglasses, including many hard-​to-​find labels. They sell a few good french labels like Anne et Valentin, Francis Klein (the only stockist in WA) and Face à Face, as well as other great labels like Dita, LA Eyeworks, to name a few…
The lady who works here early in the week (Susanne?) is lovely and so helpful, without being pushy. I am also told the owner bought a huge collection (10,000 + frames) from a man who used to run a vintage glasses store in North Perth. The vintage frames aren’t on display, so you’ll have to ask to see some, but they have every color and style imaginable and they work out much cheaper than the new frames.

David Shanahan stocks the kind of spectacles that make me wish I needed glasses. Four-​eyed friends with a love of beautifully crafted and unique frames won’t be disappointed with the usual range of designer brands. Nope! Not a hint of Prada or Calvin Klein to sear the retinas with their boorish regularity. These babies are for those with personality. Think frames with bat winged temples fit for a boisterous dame, or cat eyes for a retro look. I even spotted some Sass and Bide glasses, who knew they’d expanded into optical dispensary?
Owned by Irishman David Shanahan himself (what a glorious name!), this is a small family run business which channels Fremantle’s quirky vibe and couples it with years of optical experience. If you don’t need glasses, they also have a small but just as exquisite range of sunglasses by the likes of Isson, Mykita, Cutler and Gross and Oliver Peoples. I don’t need glasses, so I usually just hover over at this section. Not as large a range as Spec Savers or Sunglass Hut, but certainly far more eclectic.
They do bulk bill, but there is a $ 39 gap fee.