Sterling Optical, Brooklyn

Founded in 1914, the original New York City location of Sterling Optical doled out frames amid the Model Ts and paperboys that swarmed the city's financial district. The original band of eyesight experts weathered years of economic depression by impressing customers with speedy, full-service vision care, later launching a second store near Washington, DC. Today, a century of steady franchise expansion has given rise to 125 locations across the US. Most stores continue the tradition of offering one-stop optical services, giving customers access to onsite labs that can manufacture glasses in just one hour. Thanks to that commitment to customer care, Sterling Optical has been named one of the nation's leading franchises by Entrepreneur magazine.