Vancouver woman eyes world record for largest sunglasses collection

Lori-Ann Keenan has been collecting sunglasses for two and a half years, and now, she boasts a collection of 3,000 unique pairs. She's hoping her abundance of eyewear is enough to set a record for the largest collection, ever. 

Keenan has kept bucket lists most of her life. As she was going through a major change in her life — the closure of her Vancouver business — she re-evaluated her bucket list. 

One of the items on the list was getting into the Guinness World Records book. She didn't have a particular record she wanted to set, she just wanted to get into the book. 

"I'm like, I can't eat 18 hotdogs in 30 seconds, and I can't put 500 cigarettes in my mouth," she said. "Sunglass collection, I can do that." 

The current record holder for sunglasses is Betty Webster of Kamuela, Hawaii, with 1,506 pairs verified in 2015. 

She collected many herself and also asked friends and family to find quirky sunglasses to help her reach her goal. She has bedazzled pairs, sports memorabilia, designer accessories and glasses with objects hanging from them. British businessman Richard Branson even donated a pair to the cause. 

"Every time people come over, we host a lot of events, I've asked everybody 'don't bring wine, don't bring flowers, bring sunglasses and bring unique ones,'" she said. 

On June 29, her sunglasses collection will be officially adjudicated by Guinness World Records judges. In addition, she has to have all 3,000 pairs on display in a public window for two days. The sunglasses will sit in the window of Dressew Supply on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver over the weekend. 

If she meets her goal, she still has other items she wants to cross off her bucket list. Have Michael Bublé over for dinner, meet the Queen, and catch and cuddle a lamb. 

"I've really gotta cuddle a baby lamb," she said.