Robin Williams has a pair. Elton John wears them as part of his persona. Steve Martin, Alan Cumming and Bruce Springsteen had theirs custom-made.
They may be some of the most famous people wearing Sara Moshurchak’s eyewear designs but they definitely won’t be the last.
The owner of Eyeland Framemakers can make glasses of any shape with any material. And it’s all by hand.
Nothing is perfect, says Moshurchak, but for her, the hand-made frames’ imperfection is what makes them beautiful.
“One of my frames, I call it the ‘epic fail,’” she laughs. She made a shape for a customer and thought it was a disaster. “But then it ended up being one of my best selling shapes.”
The possibilities are endless for patrons who walk into the Gastown boutique. (It used to be be called Granville Eyeland Framemakers but the name is changing along with the new location at 45 Water.) Moshurchak can make anything into a stylish piece of eyewear, from artwork to wedding dress lace.
“I’m doing [a frame] for my hairdresser using hair,” she says.
Making glasses by hand can be a tedious task; a one-off pair can take up to 20 hours to complete.
“I’ve gotten pretty fast and you learn little tricks for yourself.”
But even with all the work involved, Moshurchak loves what she does.
“I get to do so many different things.”
Moshurchak always knew that one day she’d own Eyeland Framemakers. She was a student at Douglas College when Klaus Sebök, the former owner of the company, came in to do a presentation.
“I remember leaning to my friend and saying ‘I’m going to own that guy’s business.’”
When Sebök retired in 2008, Moshurchak, who’d been diligently working under his guidance for eight years, bought the business.
As for hot styles in eyewear, it ranges from cat eye to bold colours and back again to classic styles.
“People aren’t afraid to do something a little bit more funky,” she says, while pointing out that “your dad’s old glasses” are coming back in. “So lots of tortoise shells and, kind of, horn colours and things like that.”
Eyeland is celebrating its 20-year anniversary and has recently moved from Granville Island to Gastown. Its grand opening is April 10-13. Granville-Eyeland.com
