Warby Parker opens optical lab in southwest Las Vegas

Warby Parker is settling into its caller optical lab, astir eight months aft inking a lease for the facility, and it’s ramping up accumulation and hiring efforts.

The New York-based shaper of optical frames and sunglasses said the laboratory volition assistance the marque fulfill online and in-store orders of its frames for customers westbound of Texas.

Neil Blumenthal, Warby Parker’s co-founder and co-CEO, said the laboratory is the company’s 2nd facility, adding that its archetypal optical laboratory opened successful New York successful 2016.

“We wanted to guarantee that we could physique and standard a manufacturing installation — person it beryllium 1 of the astir precocious technologically — earlier opening up different one,” helium said. “And we chose Las Vegas due to the fact that of its radical and due to the fact that of its endowment and its proximity to our customers.”

The 69,000-square-foot warehouse, connected the country of West Sunset Road and South Buffalo Drive astatine 7900 W. Sunset Road, present has 30 employees, but Blumenthal said it plans to prosecute a full of 130 workers by 2023.

The laboratory allows Warby Parker to person much power implicit the manufacturing process, typically it would spouse with third-party optical labs to fulfill orders.

“There’s a batch of precocious machinery successful our optical labs. There’s peculiar grooming for our squad members and I deliberation sometimes radical whitethorn hide that we’re creating customized products for each of our customers,” said Blumenthal. “Yes, they’re a manner accessory … but they’re besides a wellness merchandise and we instrumentality that precise seriously.”

And akin to the company’s archetypal and lone Nevada brick-and-mortar store successful Downtown Summerlin, the optical laboratory is decorated with pops of its signature bluish shadiness including respective murals by Las Vegas-based creator Pretty Done.

Warby Parker launched successful 2010 arsenic an online eyewear brand, opening its archetypal store successful 2013 successful New York. It made its nationalist debut done a nonstop listing connected the New York Stock Exchange successful precocious September, hitting a valuation of much than $6 cardinal connected its archetypal time of trading.

The institution present has much than 150 stores successful the U.S. and Canada, including astatine slightest 30 locations crossed the West Coast.

Contact Subrina Hudson astatine shudson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SubrinaH connected Twitter.