Hendrix & McGuire Optical

This is the only place I’ll go to get an eye exam and new glasses– especially after having negative experiences at other big name stores. No bs and awesome customer service. Five stars easily!

Mr. Hendrix was the first in Portland to get my eyeglass prescription right, and I lamented his retirement. But then Joe DiGregorio came along, and he was even better. After he sold the shop, I retreated to the «nearest» optical only to find mediocre service and quality. After one exhausting four-​month delay by a chain optical that ultimately could not fill my complicated prescription, I returned to Hendrix McGuire DiGrigorio and was relieved to find the current owner Rhonda embracing the HM&D tradition of excellence. I have to travel a long way to get there, but it is worth the trip to be in good hands again.

I visited today for my first eye exam in probably over 10 years. My eyes have been giving me a hard time and I knew it was probably time to get some glasses.
Dr. Nancy was really great and made the exam really easy! She explained everything she was doing and why and how. She was really thorough in her explanations of how eyes work and how my eyes work, but made everything very easy to understand.
In the end she made her best recommendation and guided me to the best solution without pushing something I didn’t necessarily need. I decided to get a pair of «part-​time glasses» and they were very kind in helping me choose a solution within my budget.
It was a great experience and I highly recommend this office and Dr. Nancy if you’re searching for an eye doctor!

After being a client of these wonderful ladies for years I am finally writing a review. I LOVE this place and I have tried many different clinics over the years, but this is the first place where they took the time to get it right. I didn’t feel like I was getting rushed out the door. The customer service is exceptional, they are always friendly and work to help you in whatever way you need. Very professional and very detailed. Plus they have an incredible assortment of glasses, vintage and new. The prices are totally reasonable.
I highly recommend this place. Yes, you have to park downtown but I consider that a perk because after your appointment you can enjoy the cart food!

First, let me start off by saying I’ve never been happy with the glasses I’ve had in my life. I always felt they made me look owlish, dorky, etc. I’ve had a need for eyewear since I was 7 years old, and in all that time, I hated every minute. I wore contacts from age 14 to now, age 28, even when I knew I should give my eyes a rest or when I genuinely should replace a tired pair and buy more.
Hendrix & McGuire might just have given me my first pair of resilient, stylish, flattering glasses, and they deserve all five stars.
Caveat: I have Superior Vision insurance, and DESPITE WHAT SUPERIOR’S WEBSITE SAYS, Hendrix is not in-​network. I was informed Hendrix & McGuire have fought with SV to get their names off the list of in-​network people. I was assisted in the paperwork to make a claim to have half my $ 300 bill covered by out-​of-​network coverage for SV.
When I arrived for my 13:30 appointment, I was nervous as I’ve only recently gotten insurance as an adult (yay self-​paid college broke!). I’d never bought my own glasses before, just refilled contacts on
. I had no idea what paperwork I needed, and really, wasn’t sure which of my HR-​given insurance cards were right.
Kim, the optician there that day, was always kind and chipper in a Midwestern, no-​nonsense way with customers coming in and calling, even the rude ones. Kim set me straight, and I even got another appointment while I had to rush home a few blocks to get paperwork. She was aware of my needs and budget and explained everything.
Dr. Nancy Buset was knowledgeable and thorough in her examination. She was, as others have said in their reviews, happy to inform me on the finer points of her examination and how/​why my Rx was the way it was. She took me around the showroom that makes up the bulk of the front room of the store and explained the pricing and build quality of several pairs of glasses while also steering me toward colors and shapes that suited my pale, honey blond coloring and oval face.
I did wait, but that’s only after Kim and Nancy took the time to inspect my current, failing spex and salvage the perfectly good lenses into newer, higher quality frames. Kim buffed most of the scratches out, gave it a shine, and set them beautifully.
At the end of the day, I walked out with well-​known Silhouette frames with previous polycarbonate lenses, which helped keep my cost down for only $ 300 even, without insurance filed that day, plus labor + exam, plus information on how to dispute with my insurance company. (I also saw a gender non-​binary person come in and Nancy warmly asked them which name they preferred: the one they used last time, or the one on their file. It was a nice little touch.)
Frankly, most eyewear boutiques in this city are filled with rude staff, overrun with demanding yuppies, and overpriced, fragile crap. There’s a reason this place has been in business since ’55, and the women that run it now are AWESOME.
PS: For those interested, I now have Silhouette’s TITAN DYNAMICS FULLRIM
in Shape 2877, Color 6053. Those are usually going online for $ 200 or more, and for the entirety of my visit – glasses exam (without drops), lens recutting, fitting, labor, and no insurance filed that day – was only $ 300. These ladies don’t even significantly mark up their product! A+

Examination, fitting, follow up/​re-​fitting and another follow up. Finally done and I can now share my unvarnished opinion of Hendrix McGuire and Dr Nancy Buset. Brace yourself.
They’re pretty awesome. I’ll let you catch your breath.
Okay, we good? You back? Awesome.
The last time I got contacts was an emergency trip to America’s Best and that was, y’know, okay. Nancy said they gave me a great pair of contacts with the limited technology of the day. Like, three years ago. She mentioned that my eyes showed signs of oxygen deprivation but managed a tone free of nag or lecture. Nice move.
The visits are quick, she’s got her routine down but doesn’t rush the examination. The follow ups are lighnting fast but again it’s good. This is not assembly line optometry. My re-​fitting went through several pairs of contacts and I never felt like the clock was being watched.
The office is comfortable and well maintained, I could tell the building was hella old but that’s my job. The space is well taken care of.
The admin staff (which is sometimes also Nancy) is also good. It’s an independent business so there’s no corporate fake-​ass fawning, which is the way I like it. It’s not midnight diner style sassy, so don’t worry about that, either. And there’s a pride flag sticker on the file cabinet behind the counter, so if that’s a good thing for you, points to H&G. And if it’s not, well the hell with you anyway.
They also have a ton of glasses and stuff. Four eyes.

Great place! Wonderful service, affordable prices, and nice frame selection. I went in to replace the lenses in my old frames, and ended up buying two new frames and lens sets for the price of one since they were having a sale, plus they gave me a deal on new lenses for my existing frames.
The optician and staff were helpful and nice, and I was able to get everything done in a timely manner. I compared selection and price with four other local places and this one was heads and tails above the others.
They also were kind enough to let me upgrade my lenses to have reflective coating without having to pay for a whole new set of lenses, just the extra cost for the coating.
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good deal on lenses, frames, and exam.

I’ve gotten prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses and contacts from these guys and have always had positive experiences. The ladies who run the place are rad (kind of remind me of wacky aunts or something) and they have a wealth of vintage frames from backstock they found in the basement when they bought the place from the 70s and 80s. The selection isn’t as diverse as what you’d find at Hollywood Vintage and price-​wise, this place ain’t no Costco. Even though the vintage frames only retail around $ 50 — $ 80, I’ve never paid less than $ 450 — $ 500 for a pair or prescription frames and lenses.

Go somewhere else. The customer service is quite terrible. I am in health care and was appalled at the way I was treated. They off no help when their patients are in need; it’s hard to get an appointment, and parking is a nightmare. The providers will waste your time, and the receptionist is always cranky — even when you walk in the door with a smile. Unorganized and rude. Stay away.

For my 200^th Unilocal review, I wasn’t really expecting to write about an eye exam. But after a hectic start to my day, my visit to Hendrix & McGuire was absolutely refreshing. Dr. Buset (or Nancy, as she likes to be called) is professional and awesome. She seamlessly weaves in explanations about your eyes that really puts the exam into perspective. Her personal experience with laser eye surgery was particularly helpful, as she addressed many concerns about my surgery last year and really put me at ease.
I ended up having near-​perfect vision, so I didn’t really have an opportunity to purchase any eyewear here. However, the staff here was very accomodating and I would definitely make a purchase here in the future should my vision deteriorate or if I wanted to wear fashionable non-​prescription glasses.
Come here for Dr. Buset, stay for the glasses!

This wasn’t exactly the place I wanted to come into during a vacation. I had to imbibe in the local brews on my first night, so that led to me being an idiot and falling asleep with my glasses on. I proceeded to roll over during the night and bend the crap out of the frame and pop one of the lenses. I did my best to put it back together when I woke up, but while I kinda got a lens in I really just looked pretty stupid with bent up frames.
Enter Hendrix&McGuire Optical. I only found out about here because of Unilocal (thanks a ton!). I was very thankful for finding them. I was terribly worried that I was going to have to buy new frames. Not exactly an expense that I would’ve liked while on vacation. They were able to not only fully get the lens in but they were also able to adjust my frames again. This only took like maybe 10 minutes tops.
The best part, they didn’t even charge me. I couldn’t believe it. I even offered to pay something, but they said that it was no big deal. It really did start my day off right and put me in a much better mood than I woke up with.

This place is fantastic! I needed of daily wearers and looked through Unilocal for downtown optometrists. There’s a reason Hendrix & McGuire are the highest rated in the area I searched… not only did they have a great, eclectic collection of frames, but the service was super quick and friendly.
When I came back to pick up the glasses I found that the frame I picked didn’t fit and wasn’t adjustable. Kim immediately helped me get into a new (more expensive) frame for free and would have had the lenses fitted immediately had they not been freshly out of stock. As it was they were done by the time I was off work the next business day.
I can’t say enough about how happy I am with my experience here, and I’ll definitely be back. I’ve already got my eye on a few of their other frames.

They have a marvelous selection of frames and the customer service is good when you are buying but I went in to have my glasses adjusted and they were frightful. They really could not have cared less. I wouldn’t buy another pair of glasses from them.

Found a flyer for Hendrix & McGuire at Portland State when i was looking for a new place to go to and am very glad I found it. The rates for students and non-​students alike are both excellent with me going all the way, contacts and glasses (with the fancy anti-​glare, too!). The staff was cordial and generous. As I waited for my appointment a woman came in in need of some emergency contacts and was generously gifted them on the house. The staff seem to care about what they do and really work to help their patients. My doctor (whose name I can’t seem to remember unfortunately) was fantastic, answering all my questions, taking her time to explain things clearly, and thoroughly addressing each step to better vision. Highly recommended.

I was prescribed glasses last christmas and came to hendrix and mcguire for the frames and lenses. I am so glad I did! These are the nicest people you will ever meet. since my first visit there, everything has been easy and taken care of by these friendly, knowledgeable ladies. I ordered frames but didn’t like them after a day so i ordered another pair of frames which they rushed delivery for me the day before christmas. Since then I stop in for a new case or nose pieces or an adjustment and the service is always terrific. you will not be disappointed if you shop at hendrix and mcguire.

My insurance company gave me a list of all the optical places near my home that they worked with. Unfortunately, most of them were mega-​chain 1-​hour places that I refuse to go to. (FYI: Lenscrafters sucks ass. Never go there.) Hendrix & McGuire was the only independent optician on the list so I walked by one afternoon to see what it looked like. I definitely liked the glasses on display so I decided to book an eye exam there.
The doctor was very nice and helpful, the exam didn’t take long at all. She was happy to answer my questions and explain anything I asked her about. Then she let me loose to try on frames. They have a great selection of unique and vintage frames, which is what really grabbed my attention in their window display. My only complaint: No prices on anything. I decided to not worry about price, just pick a handful that I liked and then narrow down my options. I decided on a really neat pair of vintage frames, I’ve really never seen anything quite like them. They were a little more than I wanted to spend though. So they knocked some off the price. I’m not at liberty to give numbers, but they knocked off a pretty good chunk. After my insurance covered their bit, I feel like I got a really fantastic deal.
I was also really surprised that they made these glasses in two days. I went back in and was fitted and now I look like a steampunk John Lennon. (I’ve also heard Harry Potter and Benjamin Franklin.)
The staff and doctor were really nice and they really have a terrific selection of frames. I would recommend them very highly. Be sure to read the history of this shop and feel good about supporting a local business that has been in Portland for a long time. Go in and browse, they’ll be happy to answer your questions.

I’ve dropped my frames about 20 times, and this morning one of the nose pads popped off. The gal at Hendrix & McGuire who helped me was super-​nice, worked super-​fast, and did a fine job. And she only charged me five dollars.
The shop is bigger than it looks from the storefront. They have lots and lots of frames (but no Prada). The nice gal told me they take most types of insurance, too.
Definitely worth a look. yuk yuk

They really go above and beyond at Hendrix & McGuire. I recently switched to soft contacts after 20 years of wearing hard lenses. It took several tries to get a soft lens that worked well on my eye, but the doctor worked with me over a few weeks of trial and error, and I’m now competely happy. My previous opticians never took anywhere near the time and care that’s been given at Hendrix & McGuire.
Also, as bonus: everyone at the shop is both nice and cool. Nothing stuffy or overly formal here.

These guys (well, ladies) were great! Very helpful and informative.
I went there to correct the mess Sears made of my lenses. Haven’t had a problem since!
Great prices, too!