Squint’s store window a big winner in Vegas
[attach]7695[/attach]Squint Eyewear’s North Toronto storefront, opened only five months ago, captured two international design awards at the Association for Retail Environments 2014 Design Awards on March 18 in Las Vegas.
Designed by Toronto based firm Designstead, Squint’s Yonge Street near Keewatin Avenue location received an outstanding merit award for specialty store up to 3,000 square feet and the runner-up for visual presentation.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved, and it’s quite exciting,” said optician Amin Mamdani, who opened a second location here after 10 years operating in Oakville. “We were hoping for the grand prize but unfortunately we were beaten by Audemars Piguet, which is a watch company for their store in Bal Harbour, and for the window display, the Apple iPhone 5 campaign.
Offering a selection of eyewear brands like Mykita, Oliver Peoples, Dita Eyewear and Bevel for adults and kids, Squint features many found objects throughout the store and a frequently changing window display, which currently boasts flowers and a spring theme.
“It’s quite busy on Yonge Street, but when you walk into the store it’s calm, it’s soothing,” he said. “For me it’s important because we’re in the store for most of the day, (and) you want to feel like you’re comfortable.”
Mamdani said he got into the business after searching for a career that consisted of something in the health and medical field, fashion and business.
“The people that we have as part of the Squint Eyewear team, which we call squinters, are knowledgeable, they’re professional, yet they’re very caring,” he said. “And that makes a big difference as to how the optical store works.”