I came into optics via a rather circuitous route. After gaining a degree in Marketing and Advertising, I started working with my sister, Sophie, at Burnett Hodd Optometry in London, working as a technician performing retinal scans and visual fields tests on patients, and ordering and checking complex contact lens types.
When Sophie opened her practice in Hove, I saw this as a great opportunity to broaden my knowledge and embraced the challenge of managing her store. It was there I found my calling and realised that dispensing glasses really played to my strengths, i.e. speaking to people, problem solving and physics, with a strong eye for seeing what suits people and helping them look their very best in their spectacles. I love meeting new people and developing a rapport, and I firmly believe this is what makes me good at my job. You need to have trust in the person who is guiding you through the journey of choosing your eyewear and making sure you will be able to see perfectly in them, and you can’t build this trust without first getting to know someone a little bit.

After working with Sophie in Hove, I spent 3 months working as as spectacle sales rep in America, and saw the more industrial side of spectacle sales. It was great fun and hugely broadened my knowledge of independent eyewear brands. However, it made me realise that my passion lies with working with members of the public, so on my return Sophie and I decided to open a new practice in partnership with each other. Thus the Dulwich branch of Taylor-West & Co was born! Dulwich has a fantastic community vibe and I’m really enjoying meeting new people and getting to know the area and the people who live here. If you’re one of them, please come and say hello!