For the first 23 years, Rx Optical operated from a single location in Kalamazoo. Now, 70-years after that first optical shop opened for business, there are a total of 53 Rx Optical shops including three in Berrien County as they celebrate their 70th Anniversary in business.
Thanks to their growth over the past 47 years, Rx Optical is now the second-largest independently owned and operated optical retailer in the nation…and the oldest such retailer based in Michigan.
Clearly they are not done growing yet, either. Company officials are in the process of building an entirely new headquarters facility in Kalamazoo — a 22,000 square foot building that is being added to their Kalamazoo corporate campus — to the tune of some $6-million in new investments.
The company’s Vice President of Marketing George Jepson told Grand Rapids media that the new headquarters will provide “the foundation for our next 25 years of growth.” He alluded to options that include both internal growth and expansion beyond their current markets.
The St. Joseph Rx Optical Shop recently expanded to take over the entire building where they previously had held court in about half of the space. That’s located at 2008 Washington Avenue in the Southtown neighborhood of the city. The company’s Benton Harbor optical shop is located at 1761 M-139 on the front lot of the Fairplain Plaza, directly on the land that was the long time home to Henry’s Hamburgers before they relocated to the opposite side of M-139.
The headquarters expansion in Kalamazoo will bring their total square footage at that site to 40,000 square feet housing not only corporate offices but also retail space, labs, and an area for medical practice.
The Rx Optical shop in Niles is located at 1421 S. 11th Street.
As one of the largest in the business, Rx Optical boasts 325 employees and 200 opticians in the fold.
The Rx Optical corporate website brags, “We have been shopping local way before your favorite farm-to-table restaurant opened. And in our stores today, you’ll see seating solutions from Herman Miller and tables and fixtures custom-designed and fabricated by an artisan woodshop in West Michigan. We’ve always believed that making Michigan a part of our business, supporting our neighbors and the companies that are a part of our lives, was the right thing to do.”
While there may be room for new markets, the Rx Optical game plan has long been virtual saturation of the markets they already have a presence in. By way of example, there are 14 optical shops in Kent County alone and you’ll find multiple sites in places like Detroit, Kalamazoo and Muskegon.
As the company marks the 70th Anniversary milestone, they continue to be hot on Michigan, envisioning a great future in the Great Lakes State.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com shows the Southtown St. Joseph retail store for Rx Optical which completed a total makeover in recent months.
