Moncton optician turns 'obsession' for vintage frames into eyewear business

Ciaran McCarthy loves history, and for the past five years he's been collecting and selling vintage eyeglasses frames with a story.

He started out collecting interesting frames for himself, putting his own prescription lenses into them. 

"That's where the obsession of vintage eyewear first started," he said from his office in a historical Moncton building.

McCarthy is a licensed optician and now helps others with an eye for fashion to find eyewear they "really love" and are excited to wear.

He currently has about 400 pairs in his collection and some date as far back as the 1920s, he said. People who want a unique look can book hour-long appointments where they can take their time trying on glasses and hearing about the history of the frames.

"You can go to a brick and mortar store, you can go to a big corporation, you can go online but there's nothing that's in between that. So I was like, 'well, maybe this can be that in between,'" he said.

"Maybe some people really would enjoy this. They want the history of the frame, they want that whole story. They want to wear something that they can tell people about."

WATCH | Check out some of the funky frames from as far back as the 1920s:

Moncton optician finds his niche in vintage frames

1 day ago

Duration 3:38

Optician Ciaran McCarthy thrifts, collects and sells eye glasses. He started collecting old frames for personal use but now has about 400 pairs at his shop.

McCarthy has vintage frames from the 1970s made of an amber-coloured material called optyl that was made in New Brunswick at a plant in Oromocto.

He said the frames are still popular because optyl is hypoallergenic and you can shape and adjust the material easily by heating it.

His collection also includes frames designed for the U.S. army in the 1970s and 1980s. Known colloquially as "birth-control glasses," or BCGs, because they were considered unstylish, McCarthy said they were "bomb proof" with a seven-barrel hinge on the arms and rivets.

Ironically, the BCG frames that were issued to everyone in the army are now considered unique.

"Funny name, and it's all because no one could get a date," he said with a smile. "They found that they were dateless when they wore these glasses because everyone looked the same."

McCarthy has tracked down vintage frames in all kinds of places.

One pair of large square-ish frames came to him from a friend who found them on the floor of a bar after a Halloween party.

He said his friend thought they had been worn as a joke, but after some research McCarthy learned they were made in the 1970s by a French designer in Paris.

"I think finding this stuff is as exciting as selling it," he said. "Because it is a hunt.... Sometimes I'm sad when some certain frames go because I get connected to this stuff."

But McCarthy said he also finds satisfaction in the joy his customers experience in choosing frames they want to wear.

"People seem to really love it," he said. "They don't feel rushed ... they don't feel there's anyone around them, and they get to try on something that's really unique and really fun."