TR PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Real Optics Vice President Kami Kinney, Floating Optometrist Jazmine Crilly and Brisel Davalos Optician pose for a photo inside the new Eyemart optical outlet located at 2414 S. Center St. Ste. 202 in Marshalltown.
Eyemart, an Iowa-based optometric clinic chain, has been open in the former Papa Murphy’s Pizza location near the Marshalltown Mall since early October, but employees are excited to fully unveil the new location with a ribbon cutting and open house on Tuesday. , November 29.
Kami Kinney, Vice President of Eyemart’s parent company Real Optics, said they began considering opening a Marshalltown location about three years ago after their closest clinics were in Ames, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids previously. Because of personal connections with people who live in town, Kinney heard about the old Papa Murphy’s space and took the ball from there.
According to Kinney, the first month has been a “very soft opening” while the staff was trained and they didn’t want to overwhelm them right away. Now that they’re a little more settled, however, she’s ready to get Eyemart’s name out there and reach more potential patients.
“The biggest thing we’ve noticed even in the short time we’ve been here is that there aren’t many exams available. People wait long periods of time to get eye exams, so we have the ability to do eye exams almost every day,” Kinney said. “So that’s a big thing for us… We’re not trying to we disturb the business here, but there are a lot of other towns around here where this is the central place they come to.”
Another major benefit at Eyemart is that one of the opticians, MHS graduate Brisel Davalos, is bilingual, and Kinney said they run the gamut from relatively inexpensive glasses that cost $50 to $500 a pair.
Eyemart will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm and on Saturdays by appointment. Kinney is excited about the growth of business in Marshalltown and said the people have been “amazing” so far. The ribbon cutting will take place at 4:30 p.m. on November 29, and the open house will continue throughout the day.
To learn more about Eyemart, call 641-354-5690, visit eyemaropticaloutlet.com or stop by 2414 S. Center St. Ste. 202.
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Contact Robert Maharry
at 641-753-6611 or
rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.
