Victorian Spectacles and Eyeglasses: The Spectacle Emporium

Victorian Spectacles and Eyeglasses: The Spectacle Emporium We create authentic re-enactor glasses from genuine antique frames from many eras! So. No one will mount lenses in genuine antique frames for you. Yes, we do.

Your wardrobe is perfect except for those 21st century eyeglasses. Call us or drop by for the perfect genuine antique spectacles and end the anachronism! The Spectacle Emporium, formerly known as Optical Fashions, has been making the world's finest eyeglasses and sunglasses since 1977. We specialize in fine FRAMES MADE IN THE USA and the FREE WORLD, from ANTIQUE to ULTRA-MODERN. Come visit the Las

t Old-Fashioned Optician, who spends an hour with each patient on average, designing the perfect pair of glasses to fit your personality, occupation, hobbies, and sports. Deal with a professional with over 45 years' experience instead of an amateur - and save thousands of dollars over a lifetime. When your vision is at stake, why risk it with an optical "sales clerk" with little or no experience?

*** VINTAGE EYEWEAR ***

Our vintage frames include styles from the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Victorian Era, Edwardian Era, Roaring 20's, 1930's, 1940's, the nifty fifties, sassy sixties, and those huge frames from the 70's & 80's. The Spectacle Emporium is a re-enactor's paradise!

*** ULTRA-MODERN EYEWEAR ***

If you like ultra-modern eyeglasses that stand out from the crowd, you need to see our fashion show. Just go to our main page and click the PHOTOS tab. Then click the "ALBUMS" tab to see ALL our photo albums. (or cut and paste the following link: http://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=126605314077804

*** CONTEMPORARY EYEWEAR ***

Do we have standard, everyday frame styles? Since we are not located on Fifth Avenue or other such extravagant street, we can share our savings on rent with you - but our styles are second to none.

*** MORE NOTES ABOUT OUR HOURS ***

(EVENING, SUNDAY, AND HOLIDAY HOURS BY APPOINTMENT.) We are often open after the listed closing time. Please call for special closure days, especially in Spring and Fall. Occasional closures for special assignment or continuing education (to keep our skills and our certification up) may be required. We are closed Saturdays for worship. We are available Sundays, evenings, and most holidays by appointment, so if our schedule doesn't match yours, by all means call and we'll arrange a time that is good for both of us!

*** SPECIAL CLOSING DATES, Sept. and Oct. 2023 ***



*** PLEASE CALL AHEAD IF COMING FROM AFAR! ***

Especially if you're driving or flying from afar, please call us at (307) 745-3682 ahead of time. To keep up my training to give you the best service in the industry, I need to attend classes now and again. I don't want to miss you! I occasionally have to run to the post office or mailbox to send a rush job out, or I may not hear the phone because of the vacuum cleaner or lens edger, or we're shoveling our (considerable) winter snow. So please call back or leave a message if we don't answer the first time.

*** PARKING ***


There is diagonal street parking in front of the Spectacle Emporium. Parking is usually easiest in the morning and on Sundays (I'm here SOME Sundays, or by appointment after hours)... but if there are no spaces, don't panic! There is all-day parking on First Street about one block south and one block west of us (just north of the old Depot). There are also lots of free spaces behind Coal Creek Coffee on Grand Avenue (about a block West of us)... but watch the signs, as some spaces are reserved or not all-day! There is also a free lot on Custer Street (2 blocks south), just west of 2nd Street. Also, if you call us at (307) 745-3682 as you're heading north up our alley from Garfield Street, we can sometimes guide you into a space. Be sure to call -- please don't park in the wrong place and get towed. I can even help you park and help you get on your way after your visit.

*** REACHING OLD TOWN LARAMIE, WYOMING ***

Laramie is two hours north and west of Denver. You can take I-25 to Cheyenne, and then I-80 to Laramie. Or, if you'd like more scenery, jump off I-25 at Ft. Collins and follow U.S. 287 to Laramie (this is shorter but about the same amount of time, and will put you right on 3rd Street in Laramie, and we're just a block west of 3rd, just south of Grand Avenue.) We are conveniently located near the intersection of the I-80 business route (Grand Avenue) and US 287/30, and about 45 miles west of I-25. We are located on 2nd Street, just a block west of US 287 / 30, and 4 doors (not stores) south of Grand Avenue, which is the I-80 business route. We are about 2 minutes north of the I-80 third street exit (then turn left on Grand Avenue, then left at the next corner (2nd Street). We're the fourth door (not store) on your left.

*** HOUSE CALLS BY APPOINTMENT AS NEEDED ***

156 years ago, Laramie history changed the world  forever.  And just up the block is the Wyoming Women's History House. ...
09/04/2026

156 years ago, Laramie history changed the world forever. And just up the block is the Wyoming Women's History House. Come visit historic !
(This is just the beginning of your amazing tour, and vintage antique shopping!

On September 6, 1870, Louisa Swain was the first woman to vote on equal terms to a man after Wyoming, on December 10, 1869, became the first territory or state to pass a women’s suffrage law. The law also allowed women to hold public office, which was also a first for our nation.

09/02/2026

Sunglasses that really work, don't hurt your nose and slide down to your toes! 307*745*3682
305 S. 2nd Street, Laramie, WY 82070. Just south of Grand Avenue on the original Transcontinental Highway!

Livin' in the past?  I can help!  (307*745*3682)
09/01/2026

Livin' in the past? I can help! (307*745*3682)

Another blast from the past!
09/01/2026

Another blast from the past!

We are the Last Old-Fashioned Opticians. We're not "modern"...

(We DON'T have phone trees.)

We DON'T have sales clerks who don't know anything about glasses (we have a skilled optician with 43 years of experience, though!) And HE will take care of EVERY aspect of your eyeglasses. No amateurs.

We DON'T limit you to 5 minutes to choose your frame and lenses. It takes time to find the perfect fit / perfect look / perfect vision!

We WON'T turn your phone call over to a call center in India.
The dollars we earn on your job WON'T go off to some greedy corporation in New York or Bentonville - they will stay in Laramie to help build OUR streets and help OUR causes (we're 100% Laramie-owned.)

We DON'T work for your optometrist - and no kickbacks to him or her mean lower prices to you.

We DON'T sell frames made in repressive countries by slave labor or sweat-shops.

Guess we're just behind the times. But we DON'T form our business plan based on MBA schemes designed to make US filthy rich: We want YOU to be happy and refer your friends to us! :)

Yes, we're open today (Sunday!) -- and you're off work, and the parking's EASY in Old Town Laramie.  Come on down and se...
08/02/2026

Yes, we're open today (Sunday!) -- and you're off work, and the parking's EASY in Old Town Laramie. Come on down and see why we have customers from all over the world! 307*745*3682 305 S. 2nd Street (just south of Grand Ave.)
https://www.facebook.com/Spectacle.Emporium

07/28/2026

Podsnappery [pod-SNAP-uh-ree]
(n.)
- Smug complacency combined with indifference to others and a refusal to acknowledge unpleasant facts.

From “Podsnap” (a character in the Charles Dickens novel “Our Mutual Friend” in which Mr. Podsnap was "conscious that he set a brilliant social example in being particularly well satisfied with most things, and, above all other things, with himself”) + -ery.

Used in a sentence:
“Lord Toffeecrumb’s Podsnappery fortified his complacency against every unwelcome fact; whatever was disagreeable he pronounced ludicrous, whatever was unjust he deemed venerable, and whatever afflicted others he considered none of his affair.”

07/27/2026

Another History Tidbit: Jack Slade had a huge influence in what happened in the West, but often forgotten is his wife, Maria Virginia Slade. No one knows what her last name was or what her life had been before Jack came along. What we do know is that they were married in Texas while he was driving freight wagons. She was his equal in many ways and had a personality as fiery as his.
This is a description of what she looked like by Nathaniel Langford: " Her figure was queenly and her movements the perfection of grace. Her face was lit up by a pair of burning black eyes and her hair, black as a raven's wing, fell in curls over her shoulders". He also said that she knew how to use the rifle and revolver and was at home as well in the saddle like the bold hunters that roamed the range. I think someone had a crush on Virginia! There is a picture of her in the Stage Station if you are curious to see what she looked like.

Here's a little more information on the "Salute to the Mountains and Plains" on September 12 at the Livermore Hall. You've probably see our "Save the Date" flyers around town. Cow Patty Bingo will take place at 2 PM. Apparently the first time it was played, the cow was let out of the trailer too soon and was unable to perform. Now it's let out at the last minute. I've played "Goose P**p Bingo" in Nunn, so this should be even more fun!

📝Written by Marcie Wells, VDCC Member
📷 Photo Credit: WikiTree: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-344173

Are most stores closed when you're free to shop?Well, weekdays you work... And Saturdays it's hard to park...Sundays you...
07/26/2026

Are most stores closed when you're free to shop?
Well, weekdays you work...
And Saturdays it's hard to park...
Sundays you're off, and the parking's a snap! Come visit us - we're usually open Sunday afternoons sometime after 1:30. I expect to be here until at least 6. See how you can save bundle on your eyecare budget, even without vision "insurance!" 307*745*3682

Address

305 S 2nd Street
Laramie, WY
82070

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(307) 745-3682

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