Eyetique Eyewear Location

Keeping in step with the art-inspired flavor of Shadyside's Walnut Street, Eyetique's newest location features a visual feast of eyewear in a gallery-style setting.

Slicing a clean line between the Apple computer store and Four Winds Gallery, the long, thin boutique makes a bold statement about Eyetique's trendy approach to framing the face.

"It's a very small boutique with an art gallery mystique to it," said owner Norman Childs, noting that the showroom is the only focus of Eyetique's fourth location. "We don't do eye exams or make the glasses there; it's all about the frames."

In a diversion from Eyetique's typical model, the Shadyside location is the first to incorporate a "paperless" system, which increases the security of transactions and speeds check-out time. A flat-screen TV at the rear of the store adds to its technological flair. Pittsburgh-based architect Alan Dunn, of Dunn and Associates, Inc., positioned a bench on one side of the room and the display on the other, so people could look at the eyewear as art. "We kept it a museum-like environment in that it's a stark, white space with a dark slate tile floor," explained Dunn. "The only use of color is that some of the translucent Plexiglas shelves are tinted red and blue, which kind of plays off the whole compositional character of the wall."

Illuminated from above, shadows of the frames grace the walls, giving an abstract presentation that's distinctly Eyetique. "The display is meant to convey the same kind of artistry and contemporary nature of the eyewear itself," said Dunn. By using a mirrored wall to create the illusion of space behind the all-glass storefront, Dunn noted that the design also catches the eye of people on the street, even if they're walking in the opposite direction. "Because Shadyside is kind of an artsy, avant garde neighborhood, we felt it most appropriate that we seize that opportunity for the store," added Dunn. As the result of a recent trip to Europe, Childs is introducing three unique eyewear collections from Paris and Belgium. "The store is packed with beautiful products," said Childs.