How popular is Warby Parker? I’m staring at a Facebook invite to the hip yet affordable eyeglass retailer’s launch of its first official Dallas store on Henderson and the invitation to “attending” ratio is downright dramatic. Only 260 people were originally invited, and yet, 425 have volunteered to show up. Every time you refresh the page, the number seems to jump by five. I practically study Facebook invites for a living, and I can tell you from experience—that is highly unusual. People run screaming from most online invites; they don’t try to hop on to events without solicitation.
So how does a designer eyeglass store draw so much attention? Chalk it up to a mix of altruism, cost, and presentation. The company has a program where donated frames have ended up in the hands of approximately half-a-million needy people, but most pairs will only set the consumer back less than a hundred dollars. That’s practically unheard of in today’s high dollar eyeglass retail environment. Is this nerdy enough for you yet? Don’t worry, the party is anything but, as Warby Parker will have live music and barbecue at tonight’s launch event. I attended a party they threw with House of Plates last year, and it was so packed it bordered on chaos. Plan accordingly.
Elsewhere in today’s shopping opportunities, Estée Lauder will be opening its own shop-within-a-shop at Neiman Marcus’ NorthPark location today. Celebrity appearances by Elizabeth Hurley and company chairman Leonard Lauder will be add a dose of glamour and history to the opening. Speaking of which, the shop will also showcase its compact museum, a traveling exhibit of its extensive collection of products going back to the 60s.
Finally, veteran rapper Too Short will be at Trees this evening. He’s come a long way since his landmark hit “The Ghetto” made him a star in 1990, by curiously appearing on Lady Gaga’s most recent album. Bay area artist E-40 will open the show, which might be the selling point, as he could headline a bill all by himself.
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