Standing beside two other people wearing Fritz & Hawley frames, Colon cuts the ribbon to his newest storefront!
Anthony Giano, Director of Operations at Chapel West: “Manny’s taken care of me very well,” referencing his frames.
Look closely at the glasses perched on Janice Christopher’s nose, and you’ll spot not just one pair of eyes but two — her own, and a pair of tiny, doll-like eyes nestled inside the bright pink roses on each side.
That playful flair captures the artsy, funky aesthetic that Emmanuel (“Manny”) Colón has brought to the new Chapel Street storefront of The Fritz & Hawley Company, a 125-year-old optical shop founded in New Haven.
City officials, including Mayor Justin Elicker, joined long-time customers Tuesday morning to celebrate the opening of the latest Fritz & Hawley location at 1215A Chapel St., down the street from where Gustave Fritz and George Hawley first launched the business at 816 Chapel St.
In 2018, Colón purchased Fritz & Hawley and has since operated a storefront on Whitney Avenue in Hamden. He bought the 1215A Chapel St. location in 2020 and, while waiting for the right moment to fully open, welcomed customers by appointment.
Pointing to a pair of sparkly orange frames, Colón admitted on Thursday that they’d probably stay on the wall for a while. But when he spotted them at a trunk show, he was convinced they’d be perfect for at least one of his customers and decided to bring them in.
In New Haven, said Colón, people are looking for “funkier, kinda artsy” frames. Playful glasses have become a signature of the brand, thanks to Colón’s careful curation. He prefers independent, mom-and-pop frame-makers that use high-quality materials, like MODO: Fritz & Hawley’s best-selling brand. On Thursday, Colón was wearing a pink, semi-translucent pair of MODO frames.
Given the specialized services offered by Fritz & Hawley — from an extensive selection of frames and in-store lens cutting to lengthy, personalized appointments and expertise with complex prescriptions — it doesn’t always compete head-to-head with corporate chains like Warby Parker, which has a location on York Street.
“We help each other,” said Colón. Warby Parker “sends us patients out of range of what they can help with,” such as people seeking a wider catalogue of frames or specialty lenses. Conversely, Colón recommends Warby Parker to patients who might need something very inexpensive or quick.
“At the end of the day, I’m just happy that you can see,” said Colón. “Sight is very personal,” he added, noting that “your two eyes” allow you to “watch movies” and “see your kids growing up.” Reflecting that belief, Colón offers free repairs and adjustments on any frame, even those not purchased from Fritz & Hawley.
Glasses can also become part of what people expect when they see you, said Colón. “We help people find glasses that fit their personality,” he said, as frames have shift from a “utilitarian” accessory to a “fashion” statement.
Colón, who grew up in the Hill, took a circuitous path to becoming an optician.
He played the alto saxophone at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School and Hill Regional Career High School. He then majored in music at Western Connecticut State University, where he “fell into optical.”
He said, “I loved science and working with my hands,” and he was compelled by the idea of helping someone see. He’d also been wearing glasses his whole life and experienced firsthand how opticians had “lost touch with the personal aspect of things.” So he began working in optometry almost 20 years ago and earned his optician’s license 10 years after that.
He bought Fritz & Hawley in 2018 because of its long legacy of personalized optometry, he told the Independent.
On Tuesday, Elicker honored the business’s long New Haven history — through “two world wars” and a “fire,” he noted — with a city proclamation. He also celebrated the city’s 700 small businesses and encouraged residents to spend their money on local shops, explaining that most of a dollar spent in a small business “stays in New Haven and circulates in the community.”
In her remarks, Christopher, a long-time customer, said at Fritz & Hawley, she received a “curated, personalized experienced that wasn’t rushed” and was “tailored” to her “style.” She added that she gets so many compliments on her frames that she carries Colón’s business cards in her pocket.
Andrea Cortes, an optician and one of three Fritz & Hawley employees, has worked for Colón since 2020. She described him as a “great leader” that’s committed to helping employees and customers “feel comfortable.”
Cortes said she truly loves her job. At other optical stores, she “felt like a number,” she explained. But at Fritz & Hawley, she’s able to “curate the experience,” “remember people’s names,” and “create relationships.”