Payne Glasses was founded in 2009 by brothers Mark and John Payne. As children, both Mark and John wore prescription eyeglasses to correct vision problems. While other kids would often tease them about wearing “nerdy” glasses, Mark and John saw their glasses as a source of pride—they were able to see better and learn about the world in sharp detail!
As adults, Mark and John realized that many people still saw eyeglasses as unattractive medical devices rather than as fashion accessories. They recognized a need in the market for eyeglasses that were both fashionable and affordable. And so, using their own savings along with a small business loan, Mark and John set out to launch Payne Glasses.
Starting small, Mark and John rented a tiny office and began sourcing eyeglass parts and materials to assemble custom frames themselves. At first, it was just the two brothers assembling each pair by hand. But as word spread about their stylish, functional glasses at a fraction of the cost found in boutique optic shops, demand grew rapidly. Mark and John brought on a couple of technicians and opticians to help with the assembly and consultation process.
Today, Payne Glasses has expanded into a team of over 50 dedicated eyewear professionals. But our commitment to providing beautiful, quality visionwear at reasonable prices remains stronger than ever.
At Payne Glasses, we live by three core values that have been instrumental in our growth over the past decade and will continue to drive our business forward in the coming years.
Quality
Every pair of Payne Glasses starts with premium materials sourced from top suppliers around the world. Our lenses come from Germany and Japan, featuring the latest technology to protect eyesight. Durable TR90 and acetate plastics from Italy and Spain give our frames resilience and flexibility while retaining elegance. And the attention to detail from our skilled technicians ensures the final product remains comfortably wearable all-day long. We stand behind every item we produce, from the hinges to the nose pads, and guarantee your eyeglasses for up to two years.
Style
Fashionable eyewear begins with timeless shapes suitable for diverse facial profiles. Our frame designers draw inspiration from European runway pioneers and American pop culture icons who embody personal flair. By artfully blending eras and genres, Payne Glasses has developed an eclectic yet refined style palette. One can achieve a hip intellectual look in our Carrera-style frames or embrace avantgarde charm in our Pop Art geometer pairs. We’re always expanding our catalog with fresh looks that balance nostalgic motifs with forward-thinking materials and lens applications. Our goal is to add polish, confidence and creativity to your vision.
Affordability
Given the care involved in manufacturing custom-cut lenses and frames, visionwear commands high retail prices that strain many household budgets. Payne Glasses was founded on making high-quality eyeglasses affordable without insurance markups or unreasonable profit margins. We provide all the expertise in accurately assessing your vision needs but cut out the overhead and sales commissions weighed down by legacy retailers. Our direct-to-consumer ecommerce model allows us to maintain reasonable pricing year after year. And our valeur line gives budget-focused customers an entry point without sacrificing durability. At Payne Glasses, we believe everyone deserves to have stylish specs.
While technology plays a crucial role in inventory management and online sales, the magic behind every great pair of Payne Glasses comes from our compassionate team and proprietary production techniques. Get to know some of the folks who make it happen!
Founders
Brothers Mark and John Payne may have started the company, but they remain actively involved, sharing leadership responsibilities. Mark oversees marketing, PR and partnerships in his role as CEO. His knack for strategic collaborations has led to new product innovations and impactful philanthropic campaigns. Meanwhile, John manages daily operations and logistics as COO, tapping into his engineering background. John channels his eye for detail and passion for process improvement to maximize output quality and minimize costs. While they have distinct skill sets and responsibilities across the executive team, Mark and John remain collaborative thought partners guiding the Payne Glasses vision.
Designers
Our close-knit design team brings decades of combined experience from high-fashion houses and independent studios. They infuse each new frame with heritage motifs from runway icons like Ray-Ban and Gucci but reimagine styles with modern touches better suited for daily, comfortable wear. Beyond shaping sleek acetate or durable steel into flattering, functional formats, our designers incorporate customer feedback so that new releases directly respond to consumer demand for more colors, larger sizes or bolder profiles. The result is an expansive catalogue spanning classic squares, retro rounds and curved cat eyes to novel shapes with subtle twists that maintain timeless appeal.
Opticians
Licensed opticians comprise the frontline staff interacting with customers daily. They thoroughly assess visual acuity,Sphere power, astigmatism, pupillary distance and other anatomical measurements to determine ideal frame sizes and lens specifications tailored to one’s prescription needs and facial characteristics. Our expert opticians account for specifications like progressive add, anti-reflective coatings, polarized filters and other options to generate lens configurations optimized for everything from driving sightlines to computer usage reduction of eye strain. They also educate customers on proper use and care for their custom eyewear. The nuanced consultation provided by our seasoned opticians ensures every order fits and feels as flawless as it looks!
Technicians
Skilled technicians oversee the manufacturing process involved in filling lens prescriptions and preparing finished eyeglasses for shipment. They operate state-of-the-art Generators to shape lenses to exact measurements in accordance with optician recommendations. After lens cutting, edging and mounting, technicians assemble the lens and frame components into a wearable pair of glasses. Utilizing precision tools and equipment at their bench stations, these renaissance artisans perfect the alignment, contour the nose bridges and affix any finishing touches by hand. Each completed piece undergoes strict quality assurance protocols before a technician boxes them for delivery. Our tight-knit tech crew infuses custom craftsmanship into every order.
Suppliers
In order to maintain our high standards for quality and affordability, Payne Glasses has cultivated strong supplier relationships across the global optical supply chain. Many of our partners specialize in premium materials and components. We source durable plastics and steel from Italy, Spain and Japan used to shape chic, resilient frames. Our advanced digital lenses come from German giants like Zeiss and Wofber Vision while Japanese titans like Nikon supply analog lenses featuring multi-layer anti-reflective coatings and other upgrades. And Korean enterprises LG and Optotek furnish flat stock lenses. By consolidating and streamlining our supplier base, we can ensure component compatibility while meeting increased order volumes.
Labs
ProdPLC, our primary ophthalmic lab partner, fills the majority of our lens prescriptions, specializing in complete testing and manufacturing. As an 18-month tenant of the University of Fairfax Ophthalmology Lab incubator, ProdPLC refined their processes for executing Rx orders with strict adherence to quality guidelines. They handle the Generator shaping, lathing and polishing involved in precision-cutting lenses for farsightedness, nearsightedness and focusing issues. We supplement their capacity during peak demand with two domestic support labs along with outsourcing to select facilities in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Collectively through our lab network, we have the scale and bandwidth to deliver tens of thousands of lenses month while upholding our standards for clarity, durability and speed.
Our founding promise was to offer beautiful, quality visionwear made affordable and accessible to all who need it. Despite exponential company growth in recent years, Payne Glasses remains grounded in this vital commitment to our customers and community.
Philanthropy
Mark and John launched an annual charitable giveback campaign during year one, and Pay It Forward remains an integral program today. Each fall season, we invite customers to donate their existing glasses or contribute toward the purchase of new pairs which we distribute to visually impaired individuals in underserved neighborhoods as well as developing countries through outreach missions abroad. To date, over 42,000 donated eyewear units have been refracted and readied for reuse thanks to our network of optometrist volunteers contributing their skills and expertise. Our goal is to expand the program to donate over 100,000 repurposed or new pairs annually by 2030.
Sustainability
Eyewear production and shipping carries environmental impacts we aim to minimize year over year. Our labs use recycled water supplies while advanced generators mark lenses with precision lasers rather than acid etchings to reduce waste. Solar panels offset over 60% of our administrative facilities’ energy consumption, and we incentivize carbon-neutral transport options alongside recyclable packaging materials among nossa suppliers. Customers can also return frames after use so we can properly extract and reuse core components before full recycling. And 1% of each sale goes toward regenerative agriculture research and ocean plastic removal efforts led by our nonprofit partners. As we grow, so too will our commitments to sustainability.
Accessibility
While Payne Glasses was built around ecommerce for convenience and cost savings, we recognized the need for in-person consultations and fittings to best serve all clients. We have since opened a series of compact, appointment-only showrooms so new and returning customers can interact directly with our knowledgeable opticians for assessments when selecting eyewear. For those who rely exclusively on public transportation, our mobile clinics dispatch eyecare professionals with diagnostic equipment to nursing homes, schools and community hubs on a regular basis. And by allocating resources annually toward free eye exams and lens upgrades for vulnerable groups, we uphold this vital pledge to accessibility for all.
The future remains bright for Payne Glasses as we continue expanding our catalogue, retail presence and vision care outreach while staying true to the simple ideals upon which we were founded. Here’s to clearer skies ahead!
