DoDoncaster meets…Edwards and Walker, Opticians.
Family friendly opticians Edwards and Walker has been established in Doncaster over 40 years. When she’s not volunteering overseas, working on her doctorate or running around after her two small children; current owner and resident optometrist Pretty is determined to transform eyecare in Doncaster. A keen supporter of other local businesses, she is committed to keeping this quality independent practice in Doncaster and has big plans. This business goes the extra mile for their customers; be that delivering spectacles to patients homes or offering video call appointments to view their collections. The Edwards and Walker slogan is ‘Your eyes, our vision’ and it’s certainly one we’re eager to see come to fruition!
Q: Welcome to DoDoncaster! Could you tell us a bit about Edwards & Walker please?
Edwards & Walker Opticians has actually been established in Doncaster now for over 40 years however my husband and I only took over the practice in 2014 after the previous owner retired. The practice has always been a family friendly opticians, with a loyal patient base, however we felt we could take the business to the next level, retaining the old charm whilst slowly bringing in our own innovative ideas. Over the last 4 years we have made great strides in positioning ourselves as a unique opticians in Doncaster; from my own optical background, to bringing in exclusive brands, to our own personal take on customer service. Our aim is to be better than your average high street optician… and we feel we’ve hardly touched the surface yet.
Q: I know that like me you’re balancing work, volunteering and small children; it can be quite a juggle! Talk us through your typical working day.
I usually arrive at the practice a little later than the rest of the team due to having two children (aged 3 and 1) who need to be readied for nursery. As any mother will know, that in itself feels like a warm up before work actually starts!
Once at work, I will usually check any messages from the night before or the team will inform me of anything I need to know. I then check the diary and call in the first patient if they’ve arrived. A test can last anything from 20–30 minutes, depending on complexity of the patient, but the ultimate aim is to provide the patient with a thorough and comprehensive eye examination. A fairly common misconception is that the longer the test is, the better the test however it is more the techniques used and quality of test that really matters. Once the test is completed, I usually provide my recommendation and offer any further advice depending on the patient’s lifestyle, after which patients are handed back over to the team to view glasses if they so wish. Once the clinic is completed, if I have time at the end of the day, I will try to catch up with any emails before heading home.
Q: You’re rightfully proud of the ‘local’ feeling you can create for customers as an independent boutique opticians. What does #lovelocal mean to you and how does that translate to what you do for customers?
For me #lovelocal means being proud of your local community and doing what you can to support local organisations and businesses. Doncaster is seeing a local regeneration and for me, it’s important to help enhance and support that growth, offering a service and range of products that the Doncaster community are proud to be associated with and can talk about with pride in their voice. We already have partnerships with Mini Kicks, Doncaster Council, Bridon and Venezia Designs which patients can take advantage of to receive discounts. However, we also only ever work with local businesses — from tradesmen to florists to print companies, as well as supporting local charities such as Aurora and the Equinox Ball.
Q: I know customer service is incredibly important to you and you will always go the extra mile. Have you ever had any unusual or challenging requests?
I’ve not really had any usual requests as such however back when I was working in hospital, I once had a patient who, due to a corneal injury and to aid recovery, had to have his eye lid stitched together. I then needed to insert and manoeuvre a bandaged contact lens through a very narrow insert that was open near the corner of his stitched eye, which would ensure the eyelid and cornea would not stick together (almost to act like a plaster over the cornea). To date, this was probably one of my most challenging procedures and I can’t tell you how satisfying it was once I’d completed it (I’m not gonna lie, there were a few fist pumps with other colleagues once I’d done it!)
Q: Fist pumps totally deserved there Pretty that sounds amazing! You seem to have a well stocked trophy shelf too…tell us a bit about those awards and what they mean to you and your business.
In 2017 I was shortlisted as a top 5 finalist for Optometrist of the Year. This was an amazing honour for me personally, to be chosen amongst my peers as essentially one of the best 5 opticians in the UK. In a nutshell, the award aimed to recognise those opticians who go above and beyond for their patients, not just clinically, but also with a view to enhancing and furthering their eye care. It also recognised work outside of the practice, such as my volunteer work in Africa and studying my doctorate in Childrens Vision Screening, whilst also continually looking to self-develop my own technical skills to bring a better standard of eye care to our patients.
This year we were also shortlisted for Family Optician of the Year 2018 which was a fitting reflection of the team we have at the practice and the standard of customer service they bring, regardless of age. The award recognised how the practice encourage patients of all ages to engage in eye care and how the practice would tailor their service and products for any age group. It also encompassed the feel of the practice, not just for the patients themselves, but the team who work there and it would be fair to say the whole Edwards and Walker team does now consider one another as extended members of their family.
Q: What’s next for E&W and what are your biggest challenges?
As mentioned previously, having only taken over the practice 4 years ago, we feel we’ve hardly scratched the surface in respect of where we want to go with the business. Our vision is to be the best in our field and to offer something different, whilst maintaining that personal excellence in customer service. Whilst we have made a number of changes internally in respect of how the shop looks, we are keen to have a full cosmetic makeover and a refit that truly reflects our own personality and vision. We are also keen to build further partnerships within the local community and really emphasise the education around eye health, both from a young age all the way up to grandparents and beyond. But most of all we want patients to keep enjoying their experience and view a visit to the opticians with us more as a “want”, rather than a “need”.
Purely from a personal point of view, one of my biggest challenges in the early stages of takeover was persuading patients of my credibility, largely due to my age, given they had been seeing the previous owner for a lengthy period of time and handover was not as smooth as it could have been. Over time, the questions have subsided and I do feel now people are aware of who I am. However that was a difficult period, particularly as an ambitious young female with a wealth of experience in the optical world, hearing quite challenging comments about my ability as an Optometrist.
Business wise, our biggest challenge is likely to be keeping true to our core values whilst change may be going on around us. My husband and I are forever looking to develop and improve the practice but nurturing and managing those ideas with daily business (and a hectic family life) will be a real challenge.
Q: Yep, the juggle struggle is real! But I’m sure you’ll continue to do a great job; what do you love most about it?
That’s a difficult one. One item I am genuinely passionate about is children’s vision so seeing the look on their little faces when they get their first pair of glasses and how much it immediately improves their vision is a feeling almost indescribable. I myself experienced poor vision as a child and through nothing other than a lack of knowledge or education, my parents never picked up on it until I finally went in for my first eye test. I was relatively lucky in that it didn’t seriously affect my life however many children suffer at school or in sports or socially due to a lack of confidence caused by poor vision. And I strongly believe it’s avoidable and can be something that can be rectified at even the earliest age, which is why we try to encourage parents to bring in their children to see if we can help. Every child deserves the same opportunity in life.
Q: We’re asking all our followers to share their #DontDissDonny stories. Can we hear yours?
My husband and I are real foodies so we love trying new places or new menus, either for lunch or dinner, so we love that Doncaster is really starting to offer new and exciting places to eat. I can’t list them all, but some of our most recent favourites have been Feast and Townhouse in Bawtry, Zest and Spice and Ice in town and the newly refurbished Sunnybank Gardens in Hatfield. We’re also still desperate to try the Gourmet Kitchen/Dining Room but haven’t been lucky enough to get a reservation as yet! That’s not to mention the numerous places we still haven’t tried yet for afternoon tea! The list is endless.
Wow that’s a great list of recommendations! Thanks so much for talking to us Pretty and taking us behind the lens at Edwards and Walker. To find out more about what Edwards and Walker can do for you, pop in to see them at Priory Place or check out their website. You can also chat with them online with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Find DoDoncaster on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
