Shopping in Greece

Soon after Rochester Optical was founded in 1932, the staff established contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to supply the armed forces with durable, combat-ready glasses. Today, they continue to specialize in military eyewear, along with high-performance sports and safety glasses and a huge selection of designer frames. A team of optometrists—which includes a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a fifth-generation Rochesterian, and an eye doctor who has worked at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Salem, Virginia—performs comprehensive eye exams, and technicians manufacture lenses in an in-house, state-of-the-art optical lab. In addition to traditional single-vision lenses or no-line bifocals, they create digitally surfaced, free-form lenses that offer an expanded field of vision and minimize image distortion, allowing wearers to more clearly see apparitions standing next to them.

Drawing on Hallmark's deep well of cards, inscribed with charming well wishes and humorous missives, Lisa's Hallmark's three shops assist customers with enveloped correspondences. Sorted by occasion, Lisa’s extensive selection of cards covers a wide range of expression, such as condolences for a loved one, congratulations for a graduate, and gratitude for a fellow bank robber. The shops also feature a range of gifts, including candles, picture frames, and plush animals, to sweeten the card-giving experience.

The staff at Valenti Sports emblazons the uniforms and off-court garb of more than 400 local teams with their respective logos, names, and numbers. They also help guests to navigate a 9,000-square-foot haven loaded with sports gear from big names such as Under Armour, Nike, and Adidas. Their shelves boast more shoes than an octopus's swim-in closet with more than 600 styles of footwear, including 130 types of cleats, turf shoes, and flats.

Beyond stocking goods for baseball, football, basketball, and soccer players, the shop also celebrates the lesser-known sport of pickleball. The wiffle-ball-and-paddle-fueled pastime gets spotlight treatment inside and outside the store, with an onsite court available for test-driving products or testing hand-eye coordination for upcoming Whac-A-Mole championships.

After passing through double doors located at the bottom quarter of a massive storefront record, patrons emerge into Record Archive's quirky shop whose red and yellow walls disappear behind shelves of used CDs, DVDs, vinyl, and cassettes. A 35-year veteran of the Rochester music scene, the shop judiciously buys and sells tunes and movies in most formats. In the shade of bikes dangling decoratively from the ceiling, clients can special order hard-to-find works to complete collections or destroy the traces of their brief solo jazz career. Despite the music specialty advertised by the store’s name and its eclectic calendar of in-house performances, Record Archive also takes a stance against mass-production with caches of vintage clothing, unique furniture, quirky toys, and incense.

Joette's on Monroe adds glam to skin with a collection of jewelry and accessories embellished in pearls, rhinestones, and crystals. Rows of necklaces hover over miniature velvet décolletés, which flaunt earring and necklace sets. Sequins and bright colors pop from handbags resting on shelves, and silk gloves reach out to slyly steal patron's wallets.

Under the leadership of Valentin Skorsak, the tailoring team at Valentin's Clothiers & Custom Tailoring imbues each stitch and lapel of their custom wares with a combined 70 years of expertise. Using material supplied by high-end brands such as Sartoria Tosi and Gino Monti, Valentin and his colleagues tailor personalized men’s and women’s business suits, shirts, and ties in one-on-one sessions in the shop or at clients' homes and offices. Along with their tailoring services, the drapers at Valentin's Clothiers & Custom Tailoring alter any hem or length for clients who have outgrown their clothes or need room to smuggle extra watermelons into a business meeting.