Optical Sphere

A year later and I’m back. Need new frames for a new prescription so I went directly to Alex. After 2hrs of hunting I finally dwindled my choices down to 10! Then 6 then 3! I finally walked out with another gorgeous laid of vintage frames at an incredibly fair price. Alex helped me on my hunt and we had lots of giggles at my expense. He has so many amazing frames it’s hard to choose.

SPECS-​TACULAR! 100 STARS out of 5!
Walking through the door of Optical Sphere is like stepping into a time machine for a one-​of-​a-​kind, world class shopping experience.
Alex has put together an astonishing museum of fantastic eyewear from across the ages. He has a pair once worn by the Last Emperor of China (Made from actual Tortoise Shell). He has 5 or 6 pairs from the Revolutionary War.
These aren’t for sale. But if you think you’d look good in the designer frames of any decade from the 1920’s to the Right Now, he has thousands of pairs laid out on shelves and stored in display boxes.
Do Not be intimidated. Alex has a well-​honed sense of facial geometry and personal style, and a gift for guiding you to choices that will make you shine. Plus his prices are brilliant. You’d be amazed at how reasonable vintage stylin’ can be!
Then there is the man himself. Alex is hilarious and warm. Whether you’re a movie star or a student, he’ll treat you like Royalty and one of the family. He’s super passionate about his craft, and super expert in the art and science of lenses. He caught an error in my prescription, called the optometrist, and got them to send the proper numbers. Thanks to his awesomeness, I can see for miles and miles!
So, skip the malls and the boutiques on Melrose or Rodeo Drive, and get yourself on down to Optical Sphere. High Style, Fantastic Prices and a Timeless Experience.
You’ll not only SEE GREAT, but you’ll LOOK LIKE A STAR!

Love Alex… Been loyal to him for years!

I’m so glad I found optical sphere on Unilocal!I had an old pair of Fendi sunglasses that needed repair. The lens were starting to peel. Alex replaced the lens by cutting and custom making it to the frame. Looks great and he is super friendly, knowledgable, and inexpensive.

Needed my frames repaired when another store told me they couldn’t be fixed. So happy I found Alex and Optical Sphere. Alex was able to get my glasses put back together while I waited. What a craftsman, gentleman, honest and passionate optician. Highly recommend Alex for all your optical needs.

Fantastic range of vintage glasses, as well as current models. The owner could not have been nicer — we only stopped in to get a quick repair on some frames, which he did happily and then would not accept payment for.
A genuine, friendly, local neighborhood store and an absolute treasure :)

I purchased a pair of round vintage glasses from an Etsy seller and needed prescription lenses. I found out about this shop via Unilocal & was so happy I did. It was pretty easy to find. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the amount of vintage specs that were available. The owner was so kind and said it would only take 2 days to fill the lenses. The price was very reasonable. Service was great. I will definitely be back.

Fun, quirky unique shop for eyeglasses. Most are vintage, dating back decades in many cases — but they’ll well-​preserved and well worth a look.
The owner is a patient man who knows his stuff. I’ve been in a couple times. Most recently with a friend who just couldn’t make up his mind. It was fun to see them interact to get to some sort of agreement. My friend ended up getting a spare pair of glasses that are a completely different style than his current one. Yet both seem to fit him well.
Come here with something in mind, or be prepared to go in a direction you might not have even considered from a spectacles standpoint.

This is by far the best & most reasonable vintage eyeglass store in LA. Alex is unbelievably knowledgable, helpful and funny, and his selection is fantastic! Unlike many other boutiques that look like art galleries, and have prices to match, Alex’s stock is just as desireable, but found in a more fun & exploratory manner & and at a fraction of the price. I’ve bought 5 pairs of glasses from him already & my friends have purchased many more. We’re all happy campers. You have to go — you will not be disappointed!

The best kept secret in LA. That is all I am going to say.

Excellent customer service, amazing stock and fair prices. LOVE this place. More selection than my usual mainstay Old Focals. Really enjoyed my buying time and honest opinion from owner…

This place is great. Excellent selection and prices.

I’m a cheap ass bastard. I won’t spend more than $ 10 on any article of clothing or shoes or show or dinner. I have one exception: my eyewear.
I have been wearing glasses since the 6^th grade. Not only did I have a problem with growing boobs before everyone else, I was the first nerd in my school. Big blue plastic frames. For an idea of the hideousness of them, just walk around Silver Lake or Echo Park and you’ll see them being worn ironically by girls trying to recapture a decade they weren’t born in.
I can understand that concept though, as I prefer decades in my eyewear that I didn’t live through. The 50s, 60s. No, I’m not some hippie or rockabilly or whatever. I like cat eye glasses because my eyes slant slightly downward and this particular shape gives the illusion that my eyes are normal and balanced. This has been determined by years of experimentation with poorly shaped frames.
I could cheap ass bastard it and order modern barely cat eyes from Lenscrafters. I could buy some pairs from Halloween stores in the section with the poodle skirts. I could rip a pair right off the face of some grandma at the bus stop. But glasses are the only thing I wear on a daily basis. Everyday, the same one accessory, helping me see, part of my physical identity. Of course I choose to spend money on them. One time it was $ 800 for frames and lenses. It almost killed me but the glasses were so awesome and fit me so perfectly I had to do it. And by I had to do it, I mean I had to make my parents do it as two years worth of Christmas, Hanukkah, birthday, Easter, Quaanza presents.
More recently I’ve been wearing the same glasses for a few years, cat eyes that I bought cheap off ebay and they arrived and were an out-​of-​control shiny silver that was not demonstrated well in the pics. So I ended up, in a typical money-​saving move, painting the frames with acrylic paint. This worked splendidly for a while despite the occasional peeling and paint chips.
But my prescription recently changed and I decided I was in need of a new pair. I had found a few vintage glasses over the last year at thrift stores for $ 4 or less. I carried them around with me for months debating whether I should take them back to Jack at Jack’s Eyewear, where I would spend some serious money getting the lenses done (I’ve got negative a bazillion in one eye and lots of astigmatism and I need anti-​glare.) Plus the parking by Jack’s is horrible, from 4 – 7 you have to avoid La Brea and take a scenic drive through ritzy parking-​restricted neighborhoods to find a space.
Then one day I walked past this new place, next to Quality Restaurant on 3^rd, a few blocks from my house. I went in, looked at the walls and boxes and tables and cabinets filled with vintage glasses of all eras. It was like the wonderment of my first time walking down the strip in Las Vegas.
And Alex, the owner. Beyond knowledgeable. This guy walked in while I was there and asked, «Do you have that pair of glasses with the gold safety pin on the sides?» Alex went digging in this one set of boxes and came up with it in less than five minutes. I say, «Do you have any cat eyes that match my hair color?» and he starts pulling things out from every which where. I now forward him pairs of glasses on ebay or etsy and he checks his inventory for them or something similar.
In addition to the excellent customer service, this store is beyond affordable. My lenses are the cheapest I’ve gotten in LA. Cheaper than Lens Crafters. He filled the pairs I brought in for $ 100 a pop and then on Friday I walked out of there with a new pair of cat eye frames and lenses for $ 150. Ridiculous. In four working days. Just ridiculous.
So here’s the thing: I honestly don’t know how Alex stays in business with the shipments coming in everyday and the price he charges for glasses. So I am imploring you to go buy glasses from Alex at Optical Sphere. Because seriously, this guy cannot ever go out of business. His inventory and expertise are crack cocaine to me and I am in the market for sunglasses.

Optical sphere will spin you right round to the decades when eyewear was not only of higher quality, but also more pleasing in appearance. In this sphere (actually, it’s more of a small squarish room) one will find Alex, Russian optometrist, and hundreds, if not thousands of pairs of glasses – both sun and reading variety – stashed away in cases and folios.
Admittedly, I treasure vintage eyewear. A lot. However, looking for it maybe shouldn’t be *this* much like a treasure hunt. To see some of the best finds: old Persols, Peoples, Bolles, and Raybans – one must gingerly and hesitantly pick up the folios, sheeted with a fine coating of dust – and open them up, unsure of whether or not it is allowed. I never received a scolding or any attention otherwise from the proprietor, so I assumed I was okay.
Ironically, two hours after I began this very review, I sat on my most beloved and likely irreplaceable mint condition pair Revo 1204s. Whatever. The Sphere doesn’t seem to carry Revos, so if you’re a Revo freak, you may want to look elsewhere. No, I don’t know where! So ask someone else OKAY?
Anyway, if you’re looking for old French stuff or what is labeled «French look» come here – there’s a lot of it. There are also some pretty cool costume pieces – there may even be, what – hold it… some lucite or bakelite pieces. It’s pretty exciting.
As far as pricing goes, I’m unable to comment on how it relates to my treasure hunt analogy. The pricing system seemed to match up with the helter skelter manner of the place, with only a few pieces having prices. However, I will say that if you sometimes find yourself having inappropriate attachments to old sunglasses, like I do… you may find a certain piece that is priceless.

I read about this place on the Blackburn & Sweetzer blog
Alex the owner is really helpful and humorous. There is a nice array of vintage and non vintage styles at non vintage prices. I left with a nice pair of eyeglasses for $ 150. Stop in if you are on 3^rd St. right next to Quality.