Our Story
Q: What services do you offer ?
A: We are Eyewear Specialist offering complete eyewear and services with savings
Welcome to Ilkeston Factory Specs Beautiful Affordable Eyewear, your go-to destination for beautiful and affordable glasses and eyewear services!
As a family-owned business, Optical Boutique and Optical Laboratory with several decades of experience, we pride ourselves on offering high street glasses buyers a unique range of brand new authorised Designer and Unbranded eyewear, along with top-notch prescription lenses at an affordable price.
We are an independent glasses dispensary conveniently located for visits from Derby, Nottingham, Long Eaton, Risley, Draycott, Borrowash, Breaston, Ilkeston, Spondon, Oakwood, Ockbrook, Ripley, Heanor, Langley Mill, Codnor, South Normanton, Mansfield and Alfreton. We manufacture and finish prescription spectacles with lenses on-site. We don't offer eye tests as a manufacturer, but you are welcome to bring your prescription to us for all your eyewear needs.
Our state of the art Optical Laboratory and Optical Boutique offers many optical services including complete Branded and Unbranded glasses, as well as a "reframe own lenses" into our new frames service and a "reglaze my glasses frames" service, including our convenient while you wait service*. Visit us in Ilkeston at our safe and secure Boutique and Laboratory on the Nottingham and Derby border, and discover your perfect pair of glasses that suit your style and lifestyle perfectly! With free outside store parking and private parking to the rear, parking is always available for your visit.
Q: When did we start ?
A: 1991 in the West Midlands
Our owner Shaun was one of the first to operate a glasses dispensary in the UK back in 1991. He founded, opened and established our first premises near Dudley in the West Midlands. He offered prescription eyewear at reduced prices directly to the public who took their prescriptions to him. Customers needed to have their eyes tested by their Optician first, then taking their prescription to Shaun as the law allows (opticians act) who would manufacture new glasses and prescription lenses giving them savings.
Q: Why open in the East Midlands ?
A: Expansion and Premises purchased
In the summer of 2003, we purchased a premises in Ilkeston Derbyshire, renting the two upper floors out to a tenant and trading from the lower ground floor. Our high street Boutique offers complete glasses, prescription lenses, reglazes and just new frames as well as many other specialised services. The outbuildings at the rear house a modern laboratory for the manufacture of spectacles and the high street shop front became Ilkeston Factory Specs Beautiful Affordable Eyewear Boutique store and glasses dispensary. We were one of the first to offer a 1 hour service in-store other than Vision Express who no longer offer this option.
In 2016 we added authorised Designer and Prestige Branded and Niche eyewear to store. Stocking a huge 2500 selection of Designer and Unbranded lower cost eyewear. We are now one of the largest stockists of unique eyewear in the area.
We also set up our online presence in 2016 and seized the opportunity to spread the word online with a modern website, bringing many new customers from a radius of more than 50 miles. We also offer some products and services online further affield.