Help! My glasses are taking over!

Posted by Ira at Thursday, March 19, 2009

A fellow eyeglasses addict, "Dean" emailed me last night looking for advice. I'm one for helping out if I can, but this instance left me asking for his advice as much as offering any.

My girlfriend and I followed your site, and love it! We each own four or five pairs of glasses and sunglasses, and all of that cost less than *one* pair used to.

So, help! How do I store these neatly? Any suggestions for a rack
for a bunch of eyeglasses? :-)

I'm approaching three dozen pairs of glasses, at least two dozen of which get regular wear. The problem is that the myriad cases are taking over much of top of my dresser, a table in my office and even the kitchen counter. I know there are a number of places that sell optical supplies, but I seem to have some trouble spending more on a rack than another pair of eyeglasses.

Here are a few options that I've found:

I've found a few other options online that cost more than I want to spend -- or would make my office feel a bit too much like an optician's nightclub. I'm a utilitarian at heart, so I don't really care too much what it looks like. No frills necessary.

I have a DIY idea that I've yet to act on (but includes furniture-grade plywood, a drill and a couple feet of 1/4 inch dowel). The current situation is getting rather dire -- and the weekend is approaching. Perhaps now is the time.

I've asked this before -- a long time ago -- but what are you doing to store/display your collection/eyeglasses wardrobe?

---

P.S. Send me pictures and I'll post them. I'm curious to see what's going on out there. Bonus points for economical/homemade solutions.

Related Posts and Links:

How are You Storing Your Specs?

8 comments:

At March 19, 2009 at 1:05 PM Brianala said...: I have a small plastic rolling office cart with drawers in my closet that I have repurposed for glasses and accessories. I probably have around 20 pair or so now.

I lined the drawers with silk scarves, and keep all of my glasses in the top two drawers. I just roll it back into my closet when I'm not using it.

Here is a link to something similar: http://www.stacksandstacks.com/iris-6-drawer-mini-chest-with-compartment-top/?id=176&sku=75220&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase
At March 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM Unknown said...: I've been wondering this too, as my collection is starting to grow! I have a free drawer in my dresser, I followed Ira's link and found exactly what I'm looking for here, http://www.framedisplays.com/opfrorfordr.html
At March 19, 2009 at 5:08 PM Unknown said...: I got tired of opening eyeglass cases to find the pair I wanted, so I just went to Walmart and got the Sterilite drawers ...the first one I got around Christmas has 5 drawers, the one I bought the other day(because the first one is full) is the 2073, it has 3 drawers....I believe I paid $6 for the first one and $4 for the second, I can put 5 pair of glasses in each drawer, front to back...and I just organize them by type: acetate full frame, half rim, rimless, metal full frame, tinted lenses, hingeless, etc... they are the exact width of a pair of my glasses(that's why I bought this model, I wore my biggest glasses and just measured, my glasses tend to be from 134 -140 mm), are lightweight but sturdy and stackable, take up little room, clear enough so that you can see what type is in each drawer..

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.html?Section=Storage&ProductCategory=45#
At March 19, 2009 at 10:52 PM Anonymous said...: I just ordered a rotating display for 12 pairs at this place:
www.opticaldesignsltd.com
They've got several options that are not a bad price.
At March 20, 2009 at 10:53 AM Mike S said...: I've purchased something similar to this:
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/20-drawer-apothecary-cabinet-library-card-catalog-style

It's by our main door and perfect for glasses, mp3 players, cell phone, wallet, watches, keys and any thing else that I might on my way out the door.
At March 20, 2009 at 11:26 PM Anonymous said...: Have not done this, and don't even have any plans to show you, but I'e been kicking this idea around in my head lately.

Do you recall the big cloth hangers that had multiple pouches for pairs of shoes?
My idea was on a smaller scale (with *much* smaller pouches).
Could be made with a soft silk-like material and be sewn pretty easily. You could even sew in flaps to cover the tops of the pouches to help keep out dust, pet hair, atomic particles..etc. :)
At March 21, 2009 at 9:26 PM Joanna Stein said...: check out stores that are closing and selling fixtures. You can get some great Lucite displays for pennies.
At March 21, 2009 at 10:41 PM meg said...: Here's a cool idea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmajane/2336668688/