Our Story – Independent Eyewear Specialists
Since 1991
Founded in 1991, Ilkeston Factory Specs has grown from one of the UK’s early independent glasses dispensaries into a trusted eyewear boutique and onsite optical laboratory serving Ilkeston, Derbyshire and surrounding areas. We specialise in affordable designer glasses, prescription lenses, reglazing services and same-day eyewear solutions with professional in-store support and UK-wide online services.
FROM WEST MIDLANDS
TO ILKESTON
Our journey began in the West Midlands when founder Shaun opened one of the first independent glasses dispensaries of its kind in the UK. Customers could bring their own prescriptions and purchase affordable prescription eyewear directly without the high prices often associated with traditional optical chains.
In 2003, we expanded into Derbyshire and established our Ilkeston premises, combining a high street eyewear boutique with an onsite optical laboratory. This unique setup allowed us to offer faster turnaround times, specialist reglazing services and selected same-day glasses manufacturing directly in-store.
INDEPENDENT OPTICAL LABORATORY & EYEWEAR BOUTIQUE
Unlike many standard opticians, we operate our own onsite glazing laboratory where we grind, fit and finish prescription lenses in-house. This allows us to provide a wide range of specialist services including:
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Replacement lenses
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Reglazing existing glasses
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Same-day single vision glasses
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Prescription sunglasses
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Bespoke lens tinting
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Fitting lenses into new frames
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Broken frame replacement services
Our combination of eyewear retail and laboratory services helps us maintain competitive prices while offering more specialist solutions than many traditional high street optical stores.
DESIGNER, NICHE & AFFORDABLE GLASSES
Over the years we expanded our eyewear collections to include authorised designer brands, prestige eyewear and specialist niche frame styles. Today our Ilkeston boutique stocks thousands of glasses styles including lightweight titanium frames, oversized glasses, extra small and extra large fit frames, affordable prescription eyewear and bold statement designs.
We continue to focus on combining:
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affordable eyewear
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professional advice
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unique styles
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specialist services
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personalised customer care
for customers across Ilkeston, Derby, Nottingham and the wider East Midlands.
OUR APPROACH TODAY
As an independent family-run business, we believe choosing glasses should still be a personal experience. Many customers value being able to try frames in-store, receive expert fitting advice and speaking directly with experienced optical staff before purchasing their eyewear.
We continue to invest in:
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specialist eyewear collections
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replacement lens services
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online ordering options
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onsite laboratory technology
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personalised consultations
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affordable pricing
while maintaining the friendly independent service we’ve built our reputation on since 1991.
VISIT ILKESTON FACTORY SPECS
Visit our Ilkeston eyewear boutique and onsite optical laboratory to browse designer glasses, reglaze your existing frames, replace lenses or explore specialist eyewear services with no appointment needed for many consultations.
