Watching Jon Ackley ply his craft can be a little manic at times. As an optometrist with more than 40 years of experience in the business, Ackley knows what he”™s doing. He”™s a throwback ”“ to the times when business owners knew their customers by name, when customer service meant more than simply a component of a glossy Madison Avenue slogan and when a businessperson wore about a dozen different hats.
And that is why watching Ackley at work is, well, manic. From adjusting eyeglasses to fitting contact lenses to cursing insurance companies, the veteran eyeman seems to be doing everything at once. And he is.
“We”™ve been in business a long time, more than 50 years,” explained Ackley, who is president and owner of the company his father started in an old structure on Lindley Street in the North End section of Bridgeport. “And there aren”™t too many people who help you along the way.”
Furze & Ackley is a name that has been associated with eye care in Greater Bridgeport for more than a half a century and has remained in business by focusing on its two main concerns: filling eyeglass prescriptions and repairing eyeglasses. Through the years, Furze & Ackley has migrated from Lindley Street to its present North End location at 4270 Main St., about a half a mile from the Trumbull town line.
The company”™s lengthy history in the Bridgeport market and dedication to customer service is essential in today”™s optometry world as Furze & Ackley is one of a dwindling number of independently owned opticians. Most of the competition now comes from major chains such as J.C. Penney Optical, LensCrafters and Pearl Vision Centers. Ackley also faces a great deal of healthy competition from big-box stores such as Costco and Walmart.
“They are able to buy in bulk from overseas and can sell glasses at extremely low prices,” said Ackley, who lives in the Lordship section of Stratford. “But you get what you pay for. Glasses that (are) cheap are going to break and when they do, guess what happens? You go back to Walmart and they don”™t want anything to do with fixing your glasses. They send you over to me and we wind up taking care of you anyway.”
One of the ways Ackley has been successful as an independent is his ability to repair just about any set of eyeglasses that comes his way. Capitalizing on a stockroom that has accumulated better than 50 years of replacement parts, repairs are generally completed by the end of the day”™s business or, more often than not, while the customer waits. Among those parts are nose-pad arms and hinges for soldering. All soldering is done on the premises and Ackley can cut glass, plastic or polycarbonate to fit a frame of the customer”™s choice. There is no charge for labor, only a charge for parts.
“In this business climate you have to go the extra mile and I think that”™s why we have such a loyal clientele,” Ackley said. “We take a lot of programs such as Husky or Title 19 that are not taken by the chains and that generates a lot of business. We accept most insurance anyway and we also offer a 35 percent discount to AARP clients.”
Furze & Ackley especially caters to elderly customers, as the owner hits the road to visit his clients where they need him.
“We visit homes, hospitals and nursing homes every week, and that is a free service,” he said with pride.
Even though he runs a thriving business, Ackley is still amazed at the amount of business being generated by the chain stores.
“People just want to jump in the car and go to the mall,” he said. “Well, we”™re over-malled today, if that”™s a word. They get a coupon in the mail for a $100 off at some chain store. So they bite. What they don”™t realize is that it”™s the old bait and switch. By the time all is said and done, their bill has been jacked up by at least that much.”
He smiled and nodded. “It might seem crazy in here, but Iris sorts everything out,” he said and gestured toward his office manager.
“It”™s all in a day”™s work,” she said and laughed.
Rob Sullivan is the publisher and executive editor of the Bridgeport Banner daily website ”“ www.bridgeportbanner.typepad.com ”“ and monthly print edition. He is a special correspondent for the Fairfield County Business Journal covering news and issues in Bridgeport and surrounding communities on the Sound.
