Bailey Nelson might not be a Vancouver company, but we’ve sure adopted it as our own. Hailing from Australia, the eyewear brand has injected some much-needed fun into shopping for glasses. With approachable branding, simple but on-trend designs, and reasonable prices (hallelujah), it’s no wonder Bailey Nelson has become so popular in Vancouver—and the rest of Canada, too, with over 40 stores around the country.

Alex Black, Bailey Nelson Canada vice-president of finance and operations, joined the company right as it was expanding into the Great White North. Since then she’s seen it all: the incredible expansion highs, the Covid lows. Originally from the UK, Black oversees the brand’s growth within the country, helping decide where its next brick-and-mortar stores will open. 

Here, she discusses Bailey Nelson’s crucial time at Pavilion, what styles the Canadian market is particularly loving right now, and some of her biggest learnings.

I think I remember seeing Bailey Nelson come onto the Vancouver scene around eight years ago—is that right?

You’re exactly right. Bailey Nelson first entered the Vancouver and Canada market in 2017; that was about eight years ago. But the brand actually originates from Bondi Beach in Australia; we started up in 2012 with some market stores. The two cofounders, Pete [Winkle] and Nick [Perry], had found themselves perplexed: why was buying a pair of glasses, which doesn’t seem like any crazy technology, so expensive, and not very fun, and very clinical? They felt that there must be a better way of doing it, so that’s where the Bailey Nelson brand came from. It started by opening stores in Australia, and then expanding to New Zealand. And then Canada was the third market, because it was large and attractive. The first store that opened in Canada was on Robson Street in June 2017, and that was when I joined the company as well, because I was excited to join a new, exciting retail brand in the market. Since then, we’ve been on a rapid growth journey. We now have 43 stores in Canada and more in the pipeline.

How does it work as far as what decisions are made in Canada versus in Australia?

In general, we run ourselves as a global brand, and the departments are mainly in Sydney. We design all of our frames in Sydney, so they’re tracking trends and making sure that the product looks really good and that we have what we need in the market. But then there are things that need to be done locally. We need local expertise here: what is the Canadian customer looking for? What do they want? So we have marketing here. And then there are optometry regulations: we have an optometrist in all of our stores, and the optometry regulations are very different between countries—and there are even differences between provinces in Canada, so that’s something we need to pay close attention to and make sure that we’re doing everything by the book. So we have optometry support here, and local finance and operations teams.

What stage was the Canadian operation at when you were at Pavilion?

We used to have a store in Gastown, and there were about six of us working in the back room in the store with a tiny window. And after we outgrew that, we figured that a coworking space could be a really good option for us, because we were growing quite fast. We probably had about 12 stores in the market at that point, but we had ambitious growth plans, and it’s always hard to judge what headcount growth is going to look like to support that. And we were also faced with Covid at the time, which was very challenging, because obviously our stores had to be closed for a period of time, and there was just so much uncertainty. That’s when we were lucky enough to find Pavilion, and it gave us that flexibility in terms of growth. You could have what you need for exactly every month—so if we grew or things changed, we knew there was that flexibility, and they were accommodating and could find space for us. I think we were there for at least 18 months. And then it got to a point where there was more certainty in the market, Covid was over, and we were ready to commit to leasing a space. Our office is actually still in Mount Pleasant; it’s basically one block away from Pavilion. So we really like the area and are still close by.

What does office work look like for Bailey Nelson Canada now? Are you in-person full- time, or do you have a hybrid model?

We’re hybrid, so a minimum of three days a week in the office. And I think that works really well for us, because I genuinely think there’s a lot to be said for in-person collaboration. But also, it’s great to have quiet focus time at home and save time on travelling as well. So I think everyone benefits from the combination of both.

What have been some of the biggest learnings throughout your growth in Canada?

In retail, anything can happen any day. You never know what’s going to happen. And I think what’s been really great is how the brand has really resonated in Canada, and it did from the beginning. But for example, even in the last few months, when there’s been a lot of pro-Canada [sentiment], we’re finding that people are even coming to Bailey Nelson just because we’re not American, and people know we’re Australian. It’s interesting when you have a strength, and then something unexpected makes it become even more of a strength. 

What are you seeing in terms of frame design trends within Canada? What really seems to resonate here?

There are global top sellers that are consistent, and then I feel like the metals are really successful in Canada. The Theodore and Adler frames: those have been really popular. And a cool thing that’s been happening recently is we’ve had our first global sellout frame, which is called the Penny. It’s really on-trend with a narrow, oval style.

What factors do you look at when you’re deciding where to open a store next?

At the moment, we have stores in BC, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. There are more challenges with opening in a new market, because it’s harder to resource. But you’re also accessing new populations, so there are pros and cons there. One of the focuses this year is in-filling our existing markets, so places where we have customers and we think we can open more stores nearby. We find that street stores are particularly good for the brand because it’s more of a boutique feel, so we’re definitely looking for more of those. And then looking at where optometrists are living and willing to work is a big factor. There are some cities that are a lot harder to recruit for than others.

Is there anything that you’d like to touch on?

One of the things we’ve iterated on, and constantly improved over the years, is our store design philosophy. We actually have quite a new store design format that’s coming out. Our last two stores that we opened in March—one in Richmond Hill, Ontario at Hillcrest Mall, and one at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey—those are the first Canadian stores with the new brand look and feel. And they look really good.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.