Spectacles On Montrose

Went to Spectacles for my annual eye exam because it was in my neighborhood and I was able to get a last minute appointment on a Saturday. I originally had an appointment with Houston Eye Associates but they had to cancel my appointment and did not have another weekend spot available for two or three weeks. They told me when I made an appointment an eye exam and contact fitting is $ 150. I didn’t do much price shopping but it seemed reasonable.
I filled out some paperwork when I arrived and was seen almost immediately. Dr. Mapes, who introduced himself as Evan, was nice, efficient, and very competent. I am very happy with my new prescription which actually turned out to be lower than my old one. He asked where I normally get my contacts and I told him I usually order online, so they gave me two laminated cards with my all prescription information.
There was no pressure to buy new glasses after the appointment, which was good since their selection was way out of my price range. However, they had a lot of really interesting and unique frames.

Excellent range of modern high quality spectacles. They do a thorough eye exam. My husband has had glasses for 46 years and this one is definitely up there with the best ones!

Don’t EVER go here! The employees are huge liars and SLEAZE BALLS and take advantage of clients by charging them more than necessary. They prey on the rich that come in the store and overcharge them for all sorts of things and try to squeeze every last dime out of you. Most of the glasses break easily and you will have to come in to repair them at least 1 – 2 times a month and it is a huge hassle because the workers will make it seem like your fault and the replacement process is a nightmare!!! You are better buying off them online.

Overpriced with underwhelming customer service. I was in this week to get new lenses for glasses I purchased there 4 years ago. After paying $ 400 for the lenses I was told I could get a replacement case (cheap plastic) if I paid $ 10. And to straighten the frames on my face the «optician» proceeded to squish the frames rather than adjusting the temple or bridge. He unapologetically bent them even more out of square. Beware– service is not up to the prices you will pay here. I will never return.

I did not want to write a bad review about this place, but the service really let me down.
This shop gets voted «best optical shop» in Houston. I don’t quite understand why. The frame selection is limited, and the prices are expensive. For being the most expensive shop, I really expected superb customer service — from start to finish.
I did like the frame that I chose, but the prices were among the highest in Houston. I paid more for the simple glasses there, then I did for a Gold & Wood frame elsewhere.
The main problem is the turn around time. The glasses took over 2 weeks to arrive. I told the store that I had to have the glasses in at a certain time, and they said it shouldn’t be a problem. Things DO happen, but I don’t know why every other high end optical lab in town got me glasses in 4 – 5 business days. When I asked why, I was told that the lab they chose takes longer because it’s the best one in town.
Glasses look the same to me as other pairs I spend money on. There may be something subtle behind it, but the fact that the lenses were messed up (the source of the delay), meant that the lab wasn’t as good as they said.
Next time I have $ 1100 to spend on a pair of glasses, I will not be doing it at Spectacles on Montrose.

This is a really small, cute and very unique place for eyeglass hunting! You might pass by it easily but it is right across from the CVS on Montrose in this little strip, you can park directly in front on the street, no problem.
This may not be the place for you if you are on a tight budget, because they do not deal with insurance so this does get pricy!
I purchased really cool frames from here about 5 years ago, the frames I got were made in Belgium by Theo Reef Knot, black and very different and unique. Even now I have never seen another pair like them at other eye frame stores. If I want nice frames I don’t buy into the brand names like Calvin Klein, Burberry etc, those still looked pretty normal, and it’s not like anyone is going to look up that close to the side of your face to see what brand name your wearing. Eyeglass frame choices at spectacles are really cool and unique!
An optometrist does do eye check ups here, though i have not used him, I got my eye prescription from my local eye doctor and I sent it over to Spectacles with the glasses of my choice. My doctor was kind of skeptical at first where I was going to send my prescription to and it turns out that the owner/​Dr. at Spectacles went to the same Optometry school as she did. So it was all A-​Ok!
Why have I not bought another pair recently? Well, those glasses lasted 4 years without me having to get another prescription, I’m still going to go back to those frames, the material of thsoe glasses I have to say are very sturdy, I have fallen asleep in them several times, them slightly bending and twisting and they have never broke. And never have the lenses popped out of their frames.
I actually went to Japan a year ago and bought some really unique & cool looking frames in Osaka, Japan. Since I’m over there might as well buy, I’m not paying import prices like I would be in the States

I write a lot of Unilocal reviews for restaurants, not so many for businesses. But I really love Spectacles. Dr. Mapes is far and away the best optometrist I’ve ever dealt with – he’s very thorough, never rushes you, and he’s a genuinely nice guy, as well. The collection of frames at Spectacles is worlds above what you find at chain locations, and although Spectacles doesn’t accept insurance, they provide all paperwork necessary to get a reimbursement from your provider. A great local business.

Love the whole experience ! I have been a patient of Dr Mapes for many years. He is the best. If your looking for frames that are going to set you apart from the masses, This is your place.

I’m almost not wanting to write this review because I don’t want to give away my secret place for fabulous eye wear in Houston.
Good lord, if you wear glasses and you don’t know about Spectacles on Montrose, get your butt there and see what you are missing.
First: Evan Mapes is one great optometrist and will hook you up with a comprehensive eye exam.
Second: The inventory that Evan and his partner catalog in the store is better than any other eye wear shop in town. I’m partial to a few of the French and British brands exclusively. But, there are many others to chose from. The showroom’s expansion is impressive and it matches the many options one may have in selecting the perfect frame for your pretty face.
After my eight years of business at Specs, I receive countless compliments on my eye wear. I always recommend this shop for the discerning consumer.
Great service, excellent choices and a great doctor. You can’t go wrong IMO.
Parking tip: Park behind the shop in the lot. Walk around. Avoid parking on Montrose.

Apparently the glasses (both distance and reading) I have been wearing for the past few years are, in fact, wrong. The good doctor here at Spectacles On Montrose discovered this almost immediately and I soon will be all the more thankful, once I get my specs back. The eye exam overall was one of the least painful I have ever had, and yet felt like one of the most thoughtful and thorough. To put this in perspective, I’d rather go to the dentist every day for a week, than go to the eye doctor once. But this was almost tolerable. And he let me skip the heinous bright blue light from hell. Win.
The only meaningful critique I can really offer is that were you to need new frames, they only offer extremely hip, extremely expensive designer frames, near as I could tell. Now, I suspect that for most folks who to a location like this, that’s just fine. But considering what the exam, two sets of lenses and two anti-​glare coatings is already costing me, I’m glad I’m happy with my existing frames. I just can’t see spending more on glasses than I’d spend on an amplifier. Maybe they keep the shameful ones for us tight wads in a drawer somewhere, I didn’t ask since I like the ones I have.
All the guys who work here are fabulous, friendly and helpful. You can’t go wrong.
Note: the parking lot is behind the building, go around to the side street but then walk around to the front to get in.

I won’t discount anyone else’s experience, but I can’t imagine having a bad one here myself! To start with the trivial– the space is lovely and they stock absolutely amazing frames here. When my current ones wear out I’m definitely going to get a new set here.
I had LASIK done in 2001, and since then my eyes have reverted about 50%, which is apparently incredibly common. I begrudgingly wear glasses some of the time, but mostly wander around not noticing friends when out in public, and tripping over things. And don’t get me started on driving during the day, when I need my sunglasses more than my glasses.
Anyway, Dr. Evan is great– he’s very patient, willing to answer questions, and good at explaining what he’s doing. He informed me that most glasses that purportedly protect the eyes while using a computer do the opposite, and we had a good discussion about post-​LASIK dry eye.
They DO stock very cutting edge frames here– they carry unique stuff nobody else in the city has, and the price reflects the quality– from about $ 300-​$ 1300. That said, they immediately gave me my prescription on a card so I could pick out frames elsewhere if I wanted them. (They knew I’m a poor grad student.) My graduate advisor actually recommended this place to me and his take on the price was– «I have to wear them every day, and they’ll last for years.»
Although they don’t do insurance, they will provide you with an itemized form so you can file with your insurance, if it covers visual stuff. They also gave me a free pair of contact lenses to get me through until my new glasses are ready!
The staff here is so nice, and they have late hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays (until 8pm). Parking may seem tricky, but you CAN park out front on the street OR in the lot at the corner of Oakley and Kyle (i.e. behind the shops on Montrose) even though it doesn’t say.
I’ve been going to the eye doctor since I was 8, and I’m 30 now, so I’ve had my share of bad experiences. I love this place.

I first noticed this little gem a few days after Ike. I was sitting at a window table in Bistro Max and Julie, and kept looking past the patio into the windows of Spectacles on Montrose. The frames looked artsy. Not necessarily my speed, but I certainly couldn’t keep my eyes off of them. Not in a «oh they’re ugly, CAN NOT turn head away» hypnosis, but in a «ooh, those are interesting and avant garde» and «ooh, they have Spectacle in their name? I need to go there» sort of way.
Fast forward to the past couple of weeks for me, aka. The Great Spectacle Search of 2009. I was driving by during a rainy lunch hour, and in a random case of look-​see, I pulled into the parking lot in back. You just walk in between the narrow side patio of the bistro and the backside of the house. It looks like you could potentially be trespassing, but alas it’s just a clever shortcut.
It’s a converted house full of stylish frames made from nontraditional materials. Not really completely artsy, but for example, there are some light titanium frames with odd-​shaped arms. Others are bendy plastic jobs. There were some great concepts, but nothing that really panned out for me. If I had been including plastic frames at this point in my quest (I’ve been scarred by a year and a half with colored plastic surrounding each eyeball), I could have opened up my options considerably.
Really the best way to describe the frames is 80s new wave. Not so avant garde and atonal, just slightly off kilter, original, but beautifully melodic. Similar to the eyeglass version of a Siouxie Sioux song.
After reading the not so favorable review from a guy from San Francisco, I’m a bit confused. The optician (Mr Cutey-​Patooty) who helped me was extremely helpful and patient. Also, he showed me some great options within my parameters. The only drawbacks were: they don’t take insurance and I didn’t see any frame I could pull off day after day. I’m giving them four stars mainly because they’re definitely worth adding to your eyeglass search.

Here’s the bottom line: Great range of glassees. Beautiful design. Horrible service.
I’ve been waiting for a pair of contacts to be shipped to my home for nearly four weeks. I’m blind without them. This is supposedly the fastest option.
Every Monday morning and Friday afternoon for the past four weeks, I call their store and ask about the status of my contacts. Each time, Evan, David or Wes puts me on hold for at least five minutes and proceeds to tell me that they don’t have information on the status of my order. Each time I have to get irate and remind them that I’ve talked to them before after which they promise to call me back. They never do. And still I’m contact-​less and out my $ 100 for all my trouble.
After dealing with the collective incompetence of Evan, David and Wes, I’m ready to switch to a more competent optometrist. Spectacles sucks.