Olefson Art Opticals Crafts Fashionable Eyewear on the Go
From a custom-built tiny house in Providence, Laurie Olefson of Olefson Art Opticals produces everyday eyeglasses for the bespectacled to see confidently.
Laurie Olefson of Olefson Art Opticals creates quality frames from scratch. Photo courtesy of olefsonartopticals.studio
To Laurie Olefson, eyewear is an art form.
Discreetly tucked into a city nook, Olefson’s custom-built “tiny house” serves as her studio. Complete with two lens-shaped windows and painted bright blue, the studio located on Acorn Street in Providence was built in South Carolina by Spencer Sousa of Roughcut Tinyhomes during the pandemic. But not even Covid could squash Olefson’s creativity.
Inside the cozy Olefson Art Opticals studio, handmade specs are crafted with care. Olefson’s unique take on glasses overshadow everyday frames and provide customers with fashionable eyewear and a confidence boost. The time spent on each pair ensures that every product is not only one of a kind, but made to last.
Olefson offers quality frames created from scratch. Cut from zylonite, a lightweight and sleek material, frames are carved, sanded and molded into your distinct pair of glasses. Made to be unique, each pair is more whimsical than the last with zany designs and patterns, asymmetrical lenses and a wide assortment of colors. The Olefson collection also includes an assortment of artful readers rimmed in floral designs and endless patterns. Olefson’s “everything glasses” also provide a selection of museum-ready glasses that utilize metal flowers, stunning wooden veneers and gold and silver leaf details to create elegant pieces of jewelry for your face.
Olefson is committed to making art that is both wearable and functional. Your prescription can be cut into a beautiful pair of frames that serve as a conversation piece. “You look a little different and you get a lot of response from people in a nice way,” says Olefson. Her store also features an assortment of accessories including scarves, magnifying glasses, bookmarks and pendants to accompany your new glasses.
Olefson Art Opticals ribbon cutting with Mayor Smiley on June 7. Photo courtesy of instagram.com/mixed.media.promo
The Smithsonian recognized Olefson for her detailed works in 2021 and was highlighted alongside a hundred other American creators tasked with confronting climate change in their art. This project, namely Craft Optimism, raised funds for grants to foster education, research and outreach programs by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. Olefson’s collection of glasses were on display and the same frames can be found on her website.
Providence warmly welcomed Olefson Art Opticals with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past June. Mayor Smiley attended the grand opening where Olefson and her husband Victor established their business and joined Providence’s network of artisans. This unique shop has since contracted many customers looking for not only prescription-grade glasses, but an art piece.
Visit Olefson Art Opticals on Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. You can find Olefson’s works online and at scheduled art shows nearby. She is set to attend the Paradise City Arts festival in Northampton, Massachusetts from October 9–11 and will be appearing at other shows throughout this year.
3 Acorn St., Providence, 732-687-0193, olefsonartopticals.studio
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