I worked with Tina at Phoenix Optical to select new sunglasses, and she was incredibly patient and helpful throughout the process. The frames I chose were white, and she custom tinted the arms a greenish color exactly how I wanted. She also ordered progressive lenses, which were spot-on the first time. Then she added a green-blue gradient tint to the lenses that complemented the frames perfectly. After wearing them in bright sun, I realized I wanted them a bit darker. She adjusted the tint at no additional cost. She really nailed it. I love the final result and highly recommend Phoenix Optical for their customer service, selection, creativity, and quality. The price was very reasonable for this level of result! read more

Stopped in today while searching for Waldo. Duke was warm and welcoming, Tina was lovely too. Tina talked to me about the frame options, how the owner's mother designed some of the styles in the 1930's and how she creates them to your specifications including color. Will definitely be back for my next pair of glasses. read more

I've now purchased 2 pairs of glasses and love the both. The service I received was amazing and quick from recommendations and suggestions to speed of preparation. The prices I paid for vintage one of a kind glasses surpassed my expectations in the best way. I will absolutely be back read more

Tina at Phoenix Optical did a great job adjusting my and my husband's frames today. Plus her two dogs were so sweet! Definitely coming here when I need my next pair of frames, there's such a great colorful selection. read more

I loved that I thought my glasses were totally ruined after a fall. They were bent and twisted. Yet I walked out with them just like new! Forever grateful. Love this shop. Also love that she takes donations of glasses/frames to repurpose for others to use when unable to afford new glasses. Stop by to shop and/or donate you used glasses to help others. read more

My favorite glasses bought here over 10 years ago had frame handle bent then it snapped off! Took them to site for sore eyes and another place who quickly said we can't fix them! Brought back to phoenix and they immediately said no problem! Rep said nobody wants to help anymore in reference to other stores lack of care! Phoenix Optical cares about their customers! Shop here first before any other store! I will return soon! Thank you Phoenix! read more

some neat selections, and they used to be very customer-service oriented. but they were always absurdly priced, and now seem to want to charge for every little thing on top of that. having found out what some of their materials actually cost them, we feel abused. will probably never deal with them again. read more

After a mishap at my 7-year old's birthday party, the leg of my glasses came off. Temporarily fixed with a paper clip but I was in a panic as I have client meetings all week starting tomorrow and I wouldn't be looking great with my paper clip! I found Phoenix online and popped in today. The lady was super nice and helpful. She fixed it in 2 minutes. No charge. So appreciated! And the store and frames look so nice, will definitely consider here for my next pair of glasses. read more

Very knowledgeable. Wide variety of frames. Custom made available. Helpful. Cost is toward top end. read more

Just dropped in to get my sunnies tightened and Tina who runs the place was quick to agree to help me. And what a cool store! She's got an incredible selection of non prescription stuff that is funky and fresh. Highly recommend you drop in when strolling through Rockridge! read more

I came in with my glasses having been utterly destroyed (they were run over by a car), and Tina found a pair of donated frames in which my lenses fit perfectly! Very generously, she gave me the glasses free of charge. I could not recommend this place more!! Thank you so much !! :D read more

Hostile customer service. I went in hoping to get a high quality pair of sunglasses to add to my collection, but immediately I was pushed away from the wall when the owner immediately tells me I was looking at 350$ glasses and instead I should look at the 15$ rack. If I wanted cheap glasses I would not have stepped in there, I was judged and pushed away from even looking at the collection. Owner was extremely rude and snarky quoting 350$ multiple times when I never asked and hadn't had a chance to even look or explore my style. I own several high end glasses and I have never been treated this way. read more

My glasses broke and I couldn't wait for days or weeks to get them fixed. So I went to Phoenix, where they popped the lenses out, helped me find a new pair that would fit the lenses I already had, let me pick out some colors and dyed the frames on the spot! Cool custom frames, finished in a matter of minutes. read more

Stopped by to have the fit on some glasses adjusted. Tina was extremely helpful. Got the fit right on the first try! Thank you!And I wanted to steal her dog ; ) read more

Cool options for glasses. The assistance on selecting glasses is great. But getting a call back on questions, forget it. We had three different areas where we needed call backs for information. Each time we called multiple times and left messages, each time we had to go into the store to get the basic information needed because we couldn't get an easy call back for simple things that could be resolved quickly on the phone. read more

Come for the selection, stay for the service! Cool vintage frames in the window grabbed our attention after a trip to Cole's Hardware, and we wandered in. The eclectic selection of vintage, custom-made and uniquely dyed frames along with any fashion frames you could want and even vintage sunglasses brought us in initially. I bought a pair of glasses that fit my hard-to-fit smaller face. But when I had an issue with them, I really saw the difference between the chains I've been using and the really amazing customer service we got from Tina and Ray at Phoenix. When I called about it, Ray said that I could come in "whenever, for as long as I owned the glasses, and we'll fix them," and they did. And Tina custom - dyed some cool cat-eye frames for me, to match my eyes, while I waited! I mean, not Costco. They've made me a customer for life. read more

Phoenix Optical is the gold standard. On Sunday afternoon I made a spontaneous visit and was elated with what would become my new favorite eyeglass shop. Tina not only created a fun and welcoming environment, but she also picked MANY pair of frames that I would have loved to take home. She understands color, the importance of undertones, and gives honest feedback. She is 1 of 1. I also met the store owner Ray, who is as pleasant as can be. Thank you for a wonderful experience! ( s/o Monica for helping too!) read more

So far so, really good. I just got my new prescription after having cataract surgery and I need new lenses in all my glasses. The optician was very helpful in expediting my order. read more

Such a unique selection, in a lovely airy and bright space, with a friendly staff - resulting in no pressure but a helpful "outside" opinion if that interests you She was also so overwhelmingly nice to give me cleaning cloths without charge because she wants everyone to have clean lenses, and stayed open 30 minutes just to be patient with us to find the right fit Come support local, established businesses read more

Phoenix Optical - Eyewear & Opticians Near Me - Oakland, California

On a Covid morning our daughter wakes up still wearing her glasses (but broken) with missing screws for each arm. Due to her eye condition she needs to wear them constantly. After searching and searching for an open optical we found Phoenix Optical! The optician was a magician that took us ASAP and fixed her glasses with in minutes. The customer service and his skills were magician level. The business should be called Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix. :) read more

Very cool frames and a massive selection to choose from. They don't take VSP, but you can submit the bill and get reimbursed.

My sisters and I stopped in and tried on some frames. We didn't end up buying anything, but the lady there (didn't get her name) was so nice! She fixed my crooked frames! And didn't charge me despite my offer. This gesture seemed easy for her, but it meant a lot to me... I've been wearing crooked frames for a half year! But no longer, thanks to this sweet lady! :) read more

I went in to find some unique, funky frames and found the perfect pair. Tina was super nice and helpful. Would highly recommend

Phoenix Optical is amazing.... so many great frames! Can't decide? Don't worry, Tina will take good care of you, she's got a good eye and will also tell you if something doesn't look good. They can customize frames if you need a color change too. An amazing place, I won't go anywhere else for my glasses in the future! read more

I rarely write negative reviews and I'm honestly sad to write this one. But buying eyeglasses is an expensive proposition and you'll need them to last several years so to the benefit of my fellow 4 eyes people I'm sharing the long view on the quality of the glasses from Phoenix optical. In 2008 I bought a fashionable pair of glasses and frames from Phoenix optical. I ended up paying more than I needed to but said hey it is fashion so it's worth it. Everything went stellar for the first 12 months, and then exactly after the 1 yr mark I had issues with the protective coating on the glasses bubbling up and cracking. To this day I will never get anti glare coating again. So maybe that's a one off thing and not something I should hold against Phoenix. I'm a generous soul. Come 2010 now I'm just shy of 2 years with the frames. I manually had scrapped all the reflective coating off with my nail so the glasses were wearable. But the hinges started to seize up. It got to the point where I would not close the arms on my eyeglasses for fear for damaging them, not ideal and then finally one day the inevitable happened. A friend saw my glasses on the bedside and decided to close them to protect them and the arm snapped off right at the hinge. Now the hinge is in great shape, the frame literally separated plastic from metal hinge as if it was never connected. Its a clean clear separation and easily slides back together but without some type of epoxy it falls apart again. I literally tried to superglue it together, but that only lasted for 1 month before it would tumble apart again and was way too dangerous to risk driving. Figuring this would be a quick fix with industrial epoxy or some magical eyeglass-building compound ...since supposedly these were a custom eyeglass design that Phoenix had made especially for them. I figured they would have a fix. I took them into the shop, it's only been 2 yrs (most of my glasses last 4 yrs or longer, not that they are still fashionable but they are still functional, I take care of my stuff) so I bought them back to Phoenix and asked if there was some way to fix them. I was bluntly told I was out of luck and there was nothing they could do to fix them. Plus according to them it was not a design flaw as I had assumed but wear and tear. Not the best customer service experience. I have never been back, and want you all to be aware that while these glasses are cute in the short term but are poor quality. read more

Phoenix Optical - My experience of the quality of Phoenix Optical glasses. Hinge breakage around 2 yrs. I think it might be a design flaw. - Eyewear & Opticians Near Me - Oakland, California

I bought 2 pairs of eyeglasses this week. If you really want something different visit Ray's store. If you really want to hear a good story, stay a while and have a chat. He can tell you all kinds of cool things about the industry. The frames in this store are not some mass produced frames out of China that Prada slapped it's name on, his college dates back to his mothers frame design business and his own creations that he designs and sells worldwide. This is not just a store, it's a showroom. I didn't just buy 2 pairs of glasses, I bought two pieces of artwork for my face. I hope he never leaves the east bay. read more

Came in looking for some glasses for my hubby and found too many to choose from. We were in the store for about 20 minutes trying on shades for him and myself and it was a little overwhelming. There were just too many awesome shades to choose from. I was mostly looking for some bright red shades for myself and asked what the starting price was and the rep said $295.00 not including exam or prescription, which seemed a bit pricey. I kept looking around and the guy did a small estimate and it would be about 450 and up and since I had already purchased some glasses earlier that week I wasn't too keen on spending that much on a third pair. Overall this place is pretty cool and sales rep greeted us when we walked in and was helpful. I'm hoping that in the future when I need some crazy cool glasses I'll come here and they'll have some sort of sale going on, which would make that visit that much more awesome! read more

I love this business! I discovered their horn glasses several years ago and that is still my favorite pair - comfortable and a perfect style for me. If you prefer a less expensive option, they also have super light-weight plastic frames that they custom tint to whatever color you like. I recently bought a pair of those and it is very comfortable as well as stylish. The people are very good at helping you choose the right glasses for your face. read more

I had a problem. I couldn't see my surroundings without receiving a headache five minutes after wearing my glasses. Not being able to clearly see my surroundings meant that I could never notice if a guy noticed me. Nor could I ever guy sexy eyes with my ugly frames. This was a huge problem. Obviously. I had to find the perfect pair of frames to implement my seduction without the headache. I had to feel confident. Here comes in Ray and Phoenix Optical. My good friend with fashionable taste introduced me to the store. I never head to the east bay but after we attended a party at Lake Temescal, my friend suggested we walk in. She said I would love the store. A little skeptical, I entered and was greeted by a gigantic German Shepard. (BTW, big dogs scare me and this dog was probably as big as I was.) She said he was friendly, but I swear he was racist. I came up to him and he growled as my friend petted him. The store hosts fantastic one of a kind vintage frames for sunglasses and eyewear. It's hard to even pick one. There were several pairs in a variety of colors, styles, and rhinestones. I was drooling at their selection until I found the perfect pair. Clear with black lines (sort of like tortoise) but the frames looked gray. Ray informed me that those were one of a kind. He made those earlier in the week. The only other pair was black. SOLD! He was kind enough to walk me through the process, which was easy and simple. I placed a deposit and three days later, picked up my pair. He even helped me with getting reimbursement from my Vision plan since he was out of network. I love my glasses. They're one of a kind. And I wear them all day without having a headache. And yes, now I have the confidence to give sexy eyes. Problem solved. read more

Phoenix Optical - Trying on my glasses at the store. - Eyewear & Opticians Near Me - Oakland, California

Phoenix Optical was recommended to me my a family member who's purchased a few frames here. I had heard they had a great selection and are a really knowledgeable duo. Prior to heading in, I checked the Yelp reviews and although there were great reviews, many mentioned the customer service was a bit snooty. I kept that in mind when I visited the shop and came to realize that perhaps those individuals read the owners wrong. Todd was the one who helped me that day and he was a delight to work with. He was accommodating, professional and extremely helpful. When I first arrived, he was not in yet so I went around trying on almost every pair I could get my hands on. I decided on a pair and when Todd showed up in the store, he sat down with me and brought out even more trays upon trays of frames. We tried them all and he had input and suggestions throughout the rest of my visit. It was like I had an extra friend there to give me their honest opinion (and Todd has impeccable taste and a great eye for the right frame for your face). I decided on an amazing pair that was not even close to the original one I had picked out, especially after seeing much more of the collection they had! Perhaps they come off as "know-it-alls" but they really do know it all! They are experienced and knowledgable about the items they sell and have a great passion in what they do. They are proud! As they should be... Anyway, I had a great experience thanks to Todd and I will be back when I'm searching for my next pair. read more

Tina was gracious enough to extend her hours for me. I really wanted my friend to join me, but she couldn't until after hours. So, Tina said she'd stay open for us. Tina is upbeat and fun. She got my style right off the bat and provided me with many options. She is knowledgeable and made my experience enjoyable. I'm excited to get me one-of-a kind frames. Thanks, Tina! read more

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As you surely know from reading any of San Francisco's free weekly papers when they're not touting Hula Girl or featuring articles on vagina puppets, Phoenix Optical is famous for its frames. You know this because San Francisco's free weekly papers only have about six businesses that they ever write about, and Phoenix Optical is one of them. The others are: Hula Girl, Good Vibrations, The Communist Sustainable Transgender Homeless AIDS Community Resource Center, and that one cheap Vietnamese sandwich shop in the Tenderloin. As their employees will be sure to politely and patronizingly inform you when you simply ask which frames are "used" and which are "new": "[Long, loud sigh.] NONE of our frames are used. We don't CARRY used frames. They are vintage, NEW, unworn frames. That means nobody's ever WORN them." And, after examining the frames, I conceded that my question was indeed the kind of question only a very, very retardedly ignorant person would ask: Damn right these frames have never been worn -- nobody in their right mind, whether in 1950s or today, would put these fugly things on their face. I mean: alligator skin frames? I'm cool with wearing animal skin jackets, shoes, and belts, but do you really want a carcass resting on your face? But forget the oft-touted fact that they carry vintage frames. What makes the shop special is just how willing the staff is to let you know that you're stupid and have no taste. In other words, Phoenix Optical has a special kind of old-fashioned honesty you don't find too often nowadays, what with businesses that are all focused on making the customer happy and actually selling things. To illustrate: After spending half an hour trying on frames without interruption -- or even acknowledgment -- from the man working that day, I dared, as I previously mentioned, to attempt to gain some information about the store's stock of frames. After telling me that I was stupid for not already knowing about Phoenix's stock of frames, I showed the sales associate my old frames to illustrate what kind of style of frames I might be interested in. Because I am stupid and need to be told so, the sales associate took my glasses, looked at them, and told me for about five minutes that my lenses were shitty and that my optometrist really screwed me over. "Look at this," he said, "the lenses aren't even made of the same material! Ha! That's why this non-reflective coat on the right is one color, and the non-reflective coat on the left is a completely different color. Ha! Boy, they really screwed you over." Thankful for his honesty, I attempted to ask him about what kinds of lenses Phoenix offered. Unfortunately, I am stupid and do not know the technical terms for different kinds of lenses. All I know are words like, "thin, thinner, thinnest." "Well," the man told me, "We'd give you lenses that are a lot thinner than THESE," pointing to my glasses. "What's your prescription, anyway." I do not know my prescription; I only know that my eyesight is bad. "Well, that doesn't help." He said, helpfully. I asked him if they could make the edges of the lenses clear and if they could make the edges smaller, because my ophthalmologist told me that such incredible things were possible. Although I didn't know it then, the terms for these wondrous techniques are "edge polishing" and "aspheric," respectively. "What are you talking about? Nobody makes the edges thinner anymore. They haven't done that in years! The only way you can make the edge of the lens thinner is by grinding it down so it slants in the opposite direction and then light gets in and bounces around and makes a glare and you can't see out of your lenses. [Long sigh]" When I asked about "thinnest lenses," the kindly sales associate corrected me: "Uhhhhhh. You mean HIGH DENSITY lenses? *Yes* we can do those. [Long sigh]" If you're stupid and looking for great customer service to enhance your eyeglass-shopping experience, Phoenix Optical is the the place for you. Stupid. read more

When it comes to vintage items, my preferences and peculiarities intersect in such a way as to leave me totally screwed. Here's the thing: I love vintage clothes and accessories, but am completely skeeved out by the thought that their previous owners died while wearing them. The long and short of it: I wanted vintage cat-eye glasses. I had found some vintage frames in used shops before, but kept imagining a dead old lady on her La-Z Boy, those very glasses hanging askew over her sunken eyeballs. Yeah, I'm uptight about death on my face. Phoenix Optical, on the other hand, has vintage stuff that's never been used, worn, looked through, or died in. And tons of it in perfect condition! They even took my insurance. The owner was very helpful and as an added bonus, the shop comes equipped with one cute German Shephard. My glasses are sheer perfection. Depending who you ask, I now look like a sexy librarian from 1960 or a character in The Far Side. Thanks, Phoenix Optical! read more

I've never had such thorough and attentive assistance at any optical shop I've used. I wanted cute glasses that didn't look too hipstery and was able to find a really cute pair after looking at and trying on many, many pairs. Todd is really good at knowing what looks good on you and fits well. He wouldn't let me leave until he was sure my glasses fit me perfectly. I dropped off my rx on a Monday and my glasses were ready by Thursday. It costs a little bit more than other places, but well worth it. They have a dog in the shop who is super mellow and cool, but if you don't like dogs, you may want to take note. read more

They have some cool frames here by some rare manufacturerers and I almost got a pair but they didn't take my insurance so I was let down a bit by that. They guy who worked there seemed to to already know I wasn't going to be buying anything form Phoenix Optical Co as he seemed a bit put off by my questions. I guess I'm just a bitch, huh? Too bad for us all, nobody got what they wanted. read more

I was sorely in need of a new pair of glasses after I lost the old pair. After reading the excellent reviews of this place, I bought a groupon expecting that I would be able to find something here. They really do have great frames, however after an hour of searching, I couldn't quite find the right pair. The best ones were slightly bulky for my taste and given the high strength of my prescription, would have really thick lenses because of their size. I should note that my inability to find the perfect pair of glasses is totally specific to me. Being Asian, I have basically no bridge, meaning that only about 5% of plastic frames have any hope of fitting on my face. If you don't have this problem, you'll have a much smoother time finding the right frames here. (P.S. If anyone finds their dream glasses here and wants to buy the groupon off me ($100 for $200 worth), let me know!) read more

There are some really awesome frames here. I walked in with the desire to buy some new glasses that day. I was excited. I left completely frustrated. The sales person (tod the manager) was very annoying. I had no time to peruse the glasses on my own, I felt like every frame I liked, he did not like. He pulled out a bunch of frames from the back and went through them so quickly that I wasn't able to look at them, and a lot of them might been "the ones" And he was pushy with the frames that he liked for me as well as SUNGLASSES, which I had no interest in purchasing. After about a half an hour, I had enough and left. I almost cried afterwards because I was so dissapointed and did not enjoy my shopping experience there. I want to go back because a lot of the frames were really cool, but I will avoid going there when he is around. read more

I went in 2 days in a row. The first day I picked out my glasses and had SO MUCH FUN. They have GREAT frames and the 2 gentlemen helping me were honest and helpful. I was glad to spend my money there. I know their frames are expensive. Their frames are also really nice and make me feel really good looking, hehe) The 2nd day I went back to finalize which pairs I wanted. The man who helped me this time tried to up sell me from the moment I walked in the door. He stopped talking midsentence to me to turn and help someone who walked through the door. He then came back to me to up sell me the same product I had just declined. Then, I had to be rude and refuse a second time in a much less friendly fashion. It was uncomfortable. (He was the smaller man without any glasses.) I left the 2nd time feeling taken advantage of, wishing I had spent my money elsewhere. Don't get me wrong. I love my new glasses, and I had a WONDERFUL experience the first time. But the second guy I talked to was disrespectful of my time...otherwise I would have given them 5 stars. read more

We've somehow transformed from a consumer driven economy to one of savers. Where in the past we'd replace, today we choose to repair. So was the case when I visited Phoenix Optical in my old hood. Why do glasses temples have screws that can fall out? Well, it wasn't my glasses, but hers. Last night before bed, the strange incident of the disappearing screw rendering her glasses unwearable occurred. So today I found myself back in the neighborhood enjoying my day off. I stopped in Phoenix Optical and asked for some help. The optician (owner?) was happy to. He reached for his big plastic container of screws. All sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. "You just have to find the right one," he said. Taking his time to make sure it was, we talked about our respective hiking plans for the weekend and other places we'd been recently. He told me of a place Sunol, and I told him about Pinnacles. In the end a small bill was exchanged, a pair of glasses repaired. And, somehow it feels great to have saved something -- much better than tossing it out. Next time you have needs for eye wear, check this place out. I know I will. Looks like they have a nice selection of frames. read more

Wandering through rockridge after splurging on way too many tacos and chips, I spy.... eyeglass frames! Me & Jack have somewhat of an obsession with eyeglass frames so when we saw the storefront, we grinned and told the kids they'd need a little patience. Ray was with a customer when we walked in, but took the time out to welcome us, let us know he'd be with us soon, introduced us to his dog (who, evidenced by the piles of fur lying about, is pretty much is a fixture there) and invite us to play with the frame selection. The selection of frames is incredible. Heavy on the cat-eye, but lots of alternatives and all of them fun. I dare you not to find something you love. read more