We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeana Chavez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jeana, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I remember the day I found my dream job on Craigslist. The ad read “Sell sunglasses on the beach at The Hotel Del Coronado.” I had just purchased my first pair of Ray-Ban sunglass prescription, a classic pair of Cats 5000 in brown tortoise, polarized. Growing up, we didn’t spend money on luxury items so when I fell in love with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, it was unknown territory. To my surprise, I found out that eyewear is the most affordable luxury good someone could purchase. Learning about the frame quality and lens selection sparked my interest and I felt confident about my purchase. I wore those glasses everywhere and when that job posting came up I knew it was meant to be. I was about to transfer to San Diego State University and was looking for a job where I could balance my school and work life. After being offered the position, I met with the owner of the independently owned shop who happened to be an SDSU Alumni. His shop was nestled inside the historic Hotel Del with gorgeous custom floor-to-ceiling cherry wood cabinets, mirrored glass shelving, and stocked with the most beautiful frames I’ve ever seen. The front window glistened with Bulgari, Swaroski, Tiffany, Tom Ford, and Chanel. I didn’t know eyewear this unique even existed so I soon found myself studying every frame worn in movies and the brand history behind each one so I could confidently sell frames and talk about them to customers. I was completely drawn to styles, temple designs, and customized frames. Selling sunglasses never felt like work, I loved every aspect of it. I started my training with the best in the business and was fortunate to learn from Jack Dampier and his all-star team at Luxottica. I looked forward to and appreciated every single training opportunity with Ray-Ban’s legendary, Susan Garrison as it quickly evolved into my favorite brand to wear and sell. I had the pleasure of meeting Barbie Schroer who took me under her wing and has mentored me in everything I know about selling high-end luxury eyewear. I worked closely with sales extraordinary John Wardrup who introduced me to the advanced technology of Maui Jim and the differences between a Rose, High Transmission, Neutral Grey, and High Contrast Bronze lens. I was fortunate to work with Chanel Masek from Oakley who taught me all about sports frames and how to sell the Oakley Women’s collection. Additionally, I was lucky to learn from Lisa Ahern about the fashion eyewear business and looked forward to adapting all her sales techniques to be a better frame stylist. After only 3 months of working at the Hotel Del, I was promoted to open and manage a new eyewear and optical store in Seaport Village. At this location, I discovered the incredible technology of Costa Del Mar and I proudly introduced our west coast clients to the brand as their 580 glass lens clarity is amazing to wear on the water. I’ve sold thousands of frames each year in-store, virtually, at concerts, stadiums, and marathons, and always maintained excellent relationships with customers, brand account managers, and reps. The eyewear industry is where I feel most confident and everyone I’ve met across all the different brand accounts is passionate about helping their customers see better. This turned into a 10+ year career that included managing optical and sunglass locations across multiple states, extensive brand training, and buying conventions from Las Vegas to Lake Como.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Nothing could have prepared me for the 2020 global pandemic where all the shops I managed in California including a shell shop were forced to close their doors and over the next few months, they eventually closed down for good. It was painful to box it all up and say goodbye. We all lost our jobs but didn’t lose hope or connections. I loved selling sunglasses and didn’t want to see it end. During this time, my husband and our two kids who were 2 & 6 encouraged me to open up a retail shop to sell sunglasses again. We worked together on several concept proposals for a new lease in our community. In January 2022 I signed my second lease with The Port of San Diego for a retail shop called Ocean Avenue in the same shopping center as my candy shop, The Something Sweet Shop. This allowed me to welcome back the staff and get everything ready to jump back into this business again. The space required a complete remodel and our vision came to life. The first brand we decided to bring in was Costa sunglasses. I called my good friend Bill Poupart, Western Regional Manager at Costa and he helped get our account set up. His support over the years and everyone from the Costa team has been so good to us, especially our rep Alison Thomas. The frames and lenses from this brand are unlike any other brand on the market so we were so excited to sell them again. Our shop was the first Costa buildout since the company merged with Luxottica and they provided us with a beautifully branded buildout inside the shop to showcase the best frames and all the fixtures to display their hats and apparel. Since then we’ve expanded our sunglass collection by becoming an authorized retailer for Kate Spade, Prive, Persol and Maui Jim Sunglasses; the future is brighter than ever.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
#1 The best advice my Dad instilled in me was to do what you can with what you have where you are. The better the process, the greater the result. #2 It doesn’t hurt to ask. When one door closes, the right opportunity is waiting for you. Don’t be afraid to speak up and go after what you want.
#3 If you are passionate about something, find a way to mentor or work for someone who is already doing the career path you’re aiming for. Grow from your mistakes, take risks, and keep your eye on the prize. Focus on the good and enjoy the ride.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
16 years ago I asked a handsome guy in my college history class to be in my group for a class project. I didn’t know at the time how one person could change your life but he instantly became my best friend, business partner, and #1 supporter every step of the way. With his degree in Business Management from SDSU, he has taught me so much when it comes to making the right decisions including product selection and store operations. When we were faced with the pandemic uncertainties, his resilience remained strong for our family and he paved the way for us to keep going not knowing where it would lead but confident in knowing as long as we were together we would figure anything out. He has an incredible eye for design and merchandising and the Ocean Avenue shop is a glimpse into his brilliant ideas and plans. He’s focused and extremely knowledgeable about the eyewear industry and has helped open incredible doors of opportunity for our family. He’s sweet and selfless like his mom and equally strong and smart like his dad. There is no one in the world like him and there is no one who deserves more credit than him even though he’s the last one who would want to be in the spotlight. He encouraged me to go after that very first Craigslist posting for my dream job and to this day he has never stopped believing in me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oceanavesd.com
- Instagram: @oceanavesd @staysweetsandiego
