Alison Wong, Owner of Peep Optical

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Resident of St Kilda East, language lover

Business owner of Peep Optical

My name is Alison Wong. I live with my partner of 5 years along with my rescued domestic, short haired cat called Yoko.

I was born in Surrey, UK. At the age of three, my parents decided to move to Melbourne for better work opportunities. Dad was studying then, and Mum was a full-time nurse, and thought Australia offered a better way of life. In the UK in the early 80s, they felt the winters were long, and people were not as friendly and accepting of other cultures. Migration to Australia was fairly common for people from Asian countries; Dad and Mum already had friends living here so it was an easy decision.

I have been wearing glasses since I was in Grade 4, and remember seeing my optometrist often, as my short-sightedness increased quickly throughout my schooling years. When it came to deciding what to do in Year 10, I liked that the optometry profession was well-respected and decided to become an optometrist myself.

I graduated in 2008 from The University of Melbourne. I was the first group of graduates for which it was mandatory to be therapeutically qualified, which means we are able to write prescriptions for medicated eye drops. This saves customers a trip to the GP!

Quite early on, I have always wanted to be a partner of an optical practice. I remember my first role as a casual front-of-house person, or Optical Dispenser for a store in Richmond. I worked my way through university for four years until graduation. Paul was my first manager, and he was a young optometrist as well. He gave me an opportunity to run the store, which is an opportunity very few undergraduates had back then.

I started at management level after graduation, but found it to be quite full on juggling both back of house operations and being a newly graduated optometrist. Two years after graduation, I took a career break and started doing some locum work in regional Victoria.

During my final year of uni, I had spent two months practicing in an eye clinic in Guanajuato, Mexico and had fallen in love with the region and had been wanting to go back. So after two years of locum work, I went travelling for six months across South America. Upon my return, I realised I wanted to learn more Spanish and signed up for a Diploma of Languages (Spanish) at RMIT, working part-time and studying along the way.

I had already learnt French in high school, and it helped with learning Spanish as the grammar is very similar. I planned to start German after completing this diploma but my desire to run my own business got in the way.

I have always worked in boutique optometry practices and knew I would start an independent store. Big chain stores are not really my style as I prefer the one-on-one environment and to have the customers all to myself! I really enjoy the fashion side of optometry, and have managed to work in stores where I’ve had the freedom to help people choose their glasses after their eye test which is more meaningful to me; being stuck in a consulting room just doing eye testing 9-to-5 would kill me!

Trying to think of a business name in a fairly clinical and conservative industry was tricky. I wanted something short and catchy, so people could say it easily. I did not want to go down the ‘Wong Optometrist’ or ‘Yarraville Optometrist’ route as it didn’t fit with the vibe of the village.

Peep Optical really came about at the start of 2016 as I was finishing up a five-year stint in a boutique practice in Elwood. My experience there really opened my eyes to some amazing fashion and design-oriented labels as the manager did a lot of buying overseas.

Until a few years ago, I had never been to Yarraville. A few of my friends had moved here, and I came down for a movie at the Sun Theatre. Yarraville Village is like a small country town and I could immediately sense a community vibe. Working in Elwood then, I knew how important it was to have a supportive community. I did not want to be in a main shopping trip and I saw the potential of Yarraville. The Inner West is unique, as there are hardly any boutique optometrists within the area whereas there are more of them in the Inner East and North.

When I was comparing Windsor and Prahran to Yarraville, the rent seemed reasonable. I walked around a lot for many months and researched to see what the area was about, while talking to shop owners to see what vacancies were available in the area. Initially I was just looking on realestate.com.au and there was nothing. This area is all truly by word-of-mouth. If you find something online and make a phone call, it’s already taken.

When my current premises became available, I got into contact with the previous tenant. I did a transfer of lease and was really happy to secure the shop. I love the high ceilings and the amount of natural light available for people walking in to try on glasses.

Peep Optical opened on 19 December last year. I remember wanting to be ready before Christmas as it gets really busy with private health insurance benefits winding down at the end of the year. I was already delayed with the fitout and only had a small launch party for friends and family. I did not know anyone from the local area yet, but a few people wandered in on the day of the party, which was great. A good client – who has referred many since – walked in within the first few hours and told me this would be dangerous as she is obsessed with glasses!

I source a lot of my brands from overseas, rather than going local. I find some of the Australian distributors can be a little out of touch with eyewear trends overseas and are catering to more conservative styles. These days, it’s becoming such a big fashion accessory, rather than a necessity. Like anything you wear, people buy glasses as it makes a statement.

There is a brand which I stock exclusively in Australia, lool, which I fell in love with at a trade show in Paris last year. I met with the designers who are based in Barcelona, who were not actively looking to stock in Australia but were fortunately open to stockists who run small, boutique shops internationally.

All of my brands are independent labels and of hand-made quality. There is a focus on good quality glasses and interesting design, not just the brand name label on the side. There are plenty of those options out there.

With Peep, I want to create a new way of going to see your optometrist that is fresh, personalised and relaxed. Most optometrists aren’t very active on social media, but I find it’s a beautiful way to interact with the community and I like crafting good stories to tell on social media that may be informative or just fun!

Believe it or not, I never had a personal Facebook account until Peep Optical was about to open. In order to have a business Facebook page, I had to create a personal account. None of my friends could believe me when I opened my first account in November 2016.

Outside of work, I am a film buff, and love languages. When I was studying Spanish, I had plans to get into the film subtitling industry. However, the industry has become much smaller since then, which made me reconsider my future plans.

I am also a big fan of film photography. Film is becoming expensive now, and it’s hard to justify the costs. However, it takes black and white photos that digital photography cannot replicate. I still take film along with me when I go on holidays.

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