If you live in San Diego, you probably recognize a few required living essentials: sunscreen, swimsuits, sandals and, according to San Diego State University graduate and entrepreneur Chase Fisher, you must have “a good pair of shades.” But sunglasses that are both affordable and of good quality can be hard to come by – a challenge met with enthusiasm by Fisher’s Pacific Beach-based business.
Since 2012, his sunglasses company Blenders Eyewear has been selling “fresh, vibrant, comfortable” shades and goggles in store and online. According to Fisher, it’s the active lifestyle of San Diego that inspires the product.
Their motto, “Founded on Fun. Designed for Adventure. Priced to Party,” says it all.
Blender Eyewear’s sunglasses are priced between about $20 and $65 and are made to be light-weight with maximum comfortability. The polycarbonate lenses, all of which are UV-protected, can bend without breaking so they’re convenient to wear for any occasion. “We try to get the best stuff at the best price we can, and bring the best value,” Fisher said.
Fisher says he was inspired to open the business by the gear he saw others wearing when he surfed competitively in his home town of Santa Barbara. The active San Diego lifestyle also inspired the products
But the true “ah-ha” moment, as Fisher puts it, was when he was in a night club sporting $5 neon green sunglasses. According to him, his cheap glasses attracted as much attention as they would have if they’d been expensive name brand glasses, sparking his business idea for quality shades that wouldn’t require customers to “spend their entire bank account.”
Blenders offers a diverse line of styles to fit everyone’s taste, from the bold tropical patterned Kate Forest sunglasses with blue and green lenses to the more subtle Surfliner sunglasses with the light blue rims and black lenses.
Often times, the most popular sunglasses will sell out quickly, but being out of stock doesn’t tend to pose a problem, says customer success manager Lexi Horn. A different pair rises up immediately to become the new favorite. “I’m really confident in our brand,” she says.
On each pair of sunglasses is the company’s logo: a pair of stripes “//,” which symbolizes “life in forward motion.”
“It’s following your passion, whatever that might be,” said Fisher about the logo’s meaning. “We try to design our glasses around any possible lifestyle.”
The company promotes fun and adventure, but sunglasses sales aren’t without their challenges.
According to Fisher, it’s a competitive market with continuously shifting trends that are difficult to keep up with. With production timelines taking between 90 and 120 days, he says the changes in popular styles aren’t something that can be easily planned for.
Horn adds that the company commonly has to “fix things on the fly,” but that the customers have remained loyal through the adjustments. For the Blenders Eyewear team, the rewards of the business outshine the challenges.
“For me, the most fulfilling thing is just adding value to people’s lives,” says Fisher. “I think our product really allows people to express themselves.”
The future of Blenders Eyewear will include a new kids line, limited edition projects, and an expansion of both the snow goggles and sunglasses line, according to Fisher. The Blenders Eyewear office is located in Pacific Beach at 1940 Garnet Ave. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during weekdays and closed on weekends. Blenders Eyewear
Where: 1940 Garnet Ave. No. 240.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, closed weekends.
Info: blenderseyewear.com.