Jacob & Joe is a boutique opticians and eyewear shop on Market Street, Leicester.
As eyewear innovators, Jacob & Joe offer far more than your regular opticians. They stock some of the very best designer brands available with a focus on fashion and high quality. We caught up with owner, Zainab, to find out more for this week’s BID Spotlight feature.
Tell us about the background of Jacob & Joe and how you came to open to store?
Myself and my business partner are both optometrists by trade, and the shop was really a passion project for us. When opening Jacob & Joe I took a lot of inspiration from Europe in the way they take their eyewear more seriously. Glasses are something that many people wear everyday yet so many people don’t invest in the styles in the same way that they would in other fashion. We wanted to bring the world’s best brands to Leicester, offering quality frames in styles crafted from the finest materials. We have styles to suit all age ranges and in fact many of our customers are in their 50s and 60s. Whilst our frames are of the highest quality we’re also able to remain competitive on pricing through offsetting the cost of our lenses.
For anyone who hasn’t visited, what sets you apart from other opticians and shops?
I’d say again it’s the quality of the ranges we have available. We want people to feel comfortable in investing in their eyewear as a fashion piece and we take great care to stock the most beautiful brands. That said, we’re careful to cater for everybody price wise and also offer ranges starting from £150, as well as offering free NHS glasses. We still ensure these ranges are as beautiful as our more exclusive products.
What are some of your favourite designer ranges that you stock?
I’m a big fan of Cutler and Gross, a luxury British eyewear brand established in London back in the 1960s. They use the very best acetate available in the world and, in fact, were the official eyewear supplier of the Kingsman film. They’re definitely an understated favourite of many celebrities. We actually have a picture of Michael Caine in his Cutler and Gross glasses in the shop.
How was the time for Jacob & Joe during the Covid lockdowns?
Of course it was tough, especially for the shop side of the business. However we were fortunate that the optician side of the business was still able to operate as we’re a domiciliary opticians, going into care homes. Post-lockdown we’ve seen many customers returning, keen to find that new style and support local in the process. We’re hopeful now that that will continue.
What do you have planned at Jacob & Joe through 2022?
We have a sale starting on Monday 24 January with up to 50% off designer frames. There will be some amazing style available in the sale, as it’s simply to make room for us to buy in more stock. If you’ve been wondering whether to invest in a new set of frames, this is the perfect opportunity to come in and see what Jacob & Joe can offer you.
Jacob & Joe is located on Market Street. You can book an eye test online via their website and you can also follow them on Instagram.
Our BID Spotlight features are brought to you in collaboration with BID Leicester.
