Impulse gift of glasses leads to $1.5M business

About 25 years ago, Burt Burk of Plainview bought a pair of reading glasses for his wife, Debby, for Valentine's Day. The impulse purchase of the rhinestone-decorated specs would eventually lead to a flourishing business for the two retirees.

Burt, 82, and Debby, 80, own and operate Debby Burk Optical, an online shop that carries every product imaginable for the sight-challenged.

There are 500 styles of glasses — from funky rainbow prints to traditional wire frames to pince-nez, along with hand-carved wooden cases, electronic magnifiers and vintage hanging chains. Most recently, they've started selling sunglasses through another online shop, Sunglass Sunrise.

Although Debby Burk Optical carries a range of items for the bespectacled, they do not sell prescription lenses. The shop does fit generic reading lenses into stylish designer frames that may otherwise only be available for prescription.

Getting their start
The couple still sell the original model that started it all — after Burt's gift to Debby they discovered the same frames a few weeks later while vacationing in Bermuda and learned that they were being supplied by a Florida company for $5 a pair. Burt ordered a batch when he got home and started selling them for $20 a pair at the old Roosevelt Raceway flea market — where he and Debby already had a space to sell flowers and pottery on weekends. Soon, reading glasses became the main product at the stand.

“We added and added [more styles], and eventually it grew into a pretty nice business,“ Burt said.

That flea market stand has now transformed into a 11-person operation. Debby and Burt hired their daughter, Farrell Burk, and they also employ two full-time and six part-time workers.

The optical shop takes some 2,500 orders a month and makes around $1.5 million in annual revenue. The den and garage of the Burks' Plainview home serve as the office and storage space for the business.

The Burks' business comes from their ability to adapt to the changing times by focusing on the needs of their customers. When some complained that the eyeglass models pictured on the website were too beautiful, Debby promptly began photographing Burt and herself in glasses, which ended up being a popular move.

The shop has only one business motto — make customers happy  — and it has worked for the last two decades.

“They're very nice to deal with. If you can't find something, they'll help you,“ said Karel Turner, a lawyer in New York City who says she has bought “hundreds” of glasses from Debby. Turner added that the shop once helped her track down a sold-out style she liked.

Debby, a former commercial artist, selects, names and photographs every style she sells. And her unique touch on every pair helps fuel sales. “Once somebody finds us on the computer — finds our site — they'll stick with us,“ she said.

Going online
The store's quick adaptation to the Internet — their online shop opened in 1996 — was also on advice of their customers.

“The flea market closed, then people were saying you should do New York street fairs .?.?. And then along came somebody saying, 'Why don't you go on the Internet?' And I said 'Internet? What's the Internet?' " Burt said.

But the Internet is no longer a stranger to Burt and Debby. Debby Burk Optical's staff runs three blogs about eyeglasses, has a live chat feature and offers video-chat service where employees can try on glasses for interested customers.

“Ironically, even though there's a perception that old people and technology don't mix, our business keeps growing every year, and that's exactly who our target market is and that's who it's operated by,“ Farrell said.

Their customer base has ranged from country singer Dolly Parton, who Debby says bought almost every pair of rhinestone glasses, to soldiers in Afghanistan. With business thriving on multiple continents, Burt and Debby don't have any intentions of stopping.

“We enjoy working together,“ Burt said. “It keeps you busy. You know — if you don't use it, you'll lose it.“

At a glance

Name: Debby Burk Optical

Website: debspecs.com

Owned by: Burt and Debby Burk of Plainview

Other employees: Three full-time, six part-time

Year started: 1980s, went online in 1996

Business: 2,500 orders per month

Offerings: Funky to classical frame styles, computer glasses, cases, chains, electronic magnifiers, etc.