At Downtown Pittsburgh’s HeidiOptics, eyewear is more than a medical necessity. For owner Heidi Weitz, it’s a combination of fashion, art, history—and a deeply personal expression of who you are.
Weitz, the daughter of an optometrist, never planned to make eyewear her career. After earning a B.S. in science and a B.A. in art concurrently, she took a temporary post-graduate job at her father’s practice, which he had started in the 1960s. She soon discovered that she had a knack for the aesthetic side of the business and began curating its eyewear collection.
The combination of medicine and creativity was a natural fit. In 2005, Weitz bought the practice from her father and moved it to its current location on 4th Avenue, transforming it into a cozy, eclectic boutique where eyewear is treated as something close to an art form.
“These aren’t just glasses to me,” says Weitz. “They’re a whole story.”
A Passion for Independent Eyewear at HeidiOptics
Weitz hand-selects frames from vendors and trade shows around the world, choosing independent brands alongside larger niche favorites such as Press Eyewear, Anne & Valentin, and Rigards. The smaller labels are a particular passion for Weitz.
“I like the little brands,” says Weitz. “They’re a few people trying hard to make their dreams come true, and I really like supporting them.” Still, she’s hard-pressed to name a favorite. “They’re so fun and cool, and I love them all.”
For Weitz, helping customers find the right style is about much more than matching a frame to a face. She knows that choosing a pair can be a surprisingly intimate decision. “People have a very intense relationship with their glasses,” says Weitz. “It’s how they see. It’s a really big decision.”
Finding the Right Frame
That makes playing matchmaker between a customer and a pair of frames one of the most rewarding parts of her job. Weitz, along with HeidiOptics optometrist Dr. Krystal Baker and the shop’s sales associates, wants to understand who a customer is before suggesting what they might wear. With that knowledge, “I can make a better choice for them,” she says.
That attention to personality extends to the shop itself. Designed by Pittsburgh architect Bill Kolano, the space is artistic and intimate, filled with decor that Weitz has collected over the years—handmade pieces, gifts from loved ones, and objects with their own stories. Kolano himself first came into HeidiOptics as a customer and left as a friend, as many customers do.
After all these years, Weitz still loves the work. It’s what makes a shop selling something as utilitarian as eyeglasses feel like a destination for personal style.
HeidiOptics
223 4th Avenue, Downtown
Find more local boutiques and brands at our guide to Pittsburgh retailers.
About the Author
Anna Montesanti is a freelance journalist in the Pittsburgh region. She recently graduated with her B.A. in nonfiction writing from University of Pittsburgh and is obtaining her master’s in journalism from Emerson College. She loves covering pop culture and local happenings, and in her free time you can find her trying local coffee shops and walking in Pittsburgh’s gorgeous parks.
Photos Courtesy of HeidiOptics
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