Hakim Optical Lab Ltd. is a Canadian optical chain, the largest privately owned optical chain in Canada. In 2016, it had about 160 stores.

Founder

Karim Hakimi Karim Hakimi (Persian: کریم حکیمی) (born 1933) is an Iranian-Canadian entrepreneur and optician, known for founding Hakim Optical, a large chain of eyeglass stores across Canada. Early life Hakimi was born in Iran. At the age of five, h ...

, a native of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, learned to make lenses from old window glass as a child. After a stint in the navy, Hakimi worked in the optical industry in Switzerland. He then migrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and opened an optical laboratory in the former Elmwood Hotel (now the Elmwood Spa) in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

.Kearney, Mark and Ray, Randy (2002): ''I Know That Name! The People Behind Canada's Best Known Brand Names'', pp. 278–279 He bought and rebuilt old equipment from a closed-down lab in Chicago. After making a variety of lenses, he began selling them to local optometrists.''The Toronto Star''
"Top 25 Immigrant Awards; Rags to Riches One Lens at a Time"
Page V6. (June 30, 2011). He soon began selling lenses directly from the Elmwood location."North Yorker Karim Hakimi named one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants"
''North York Mirror'', Jun 01, 2011 By Justin Skinner The company has sold over 40 million pairs of glasses. Karim Hakimi remains CEO, and runs the day-to-day operations at Hakim head office located at 128 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. On October 18, 2008, the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the ''City of Toron ...

renamed Lebovic Avenue in the

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

district to Hakimi Avenue. The City of Toronto does not normally name streets after living persons but made an exception in recognition of Hakimi's contributions. A documentary about Hakim Optical and its founder, titled ''Hakim: A Vision of Success'', was made for Omni Television with

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

subtitles.

Early history

As the business grew, he opened a small storefront near his home at Highway 10 and Dundas Street in 1967, enabling him to both manufacture and retail glasses. The next store was at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, near the current Finch subway station. By 1985, Hakimi had opened 27 stores, 25 in Ontario and 2 in Nova Scotia. Many of these offered on-site, one-hour service. The chain had 200 employees, many of them newcomers to Canada. Hakim Optical has promoted its optical chain with its trademark jingle "Your Eyes Can Have it All at Hakim Optical" since 2003, which has been named by Huffington Post Canada as one of Canada's most memorable jingles and is still used.

Retail locations

On May 1, 2011, Hakim Optical opened its new flagship location at Yonge–Dundas Square in Toronto which is two blocks away from the original 1967 location. In November 2017, Hakim Optical partnered with virtual reality and augmented reality agency VusionVR Inc. to expand the in-store service by offering an app that would take a customer's selfie and apply a Snapchat-like filter of the eyewear being considered for purchase. As of June 2020, Hakim Optical had 161 retail locations (including 140 one-hour factory outlets) across Canada and also operates six lens factories. In February 2023, the so-called flagship store was closed after non-payment of their lease. Additionally, their website shows a location at Lougheed Mall in Burnaby, but this site is permanently closed. In August 2024, the Hakim Optical location at Stone Road Mall in

Guelph, Ontario Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

was served a lease termination due to non-payment of rent, after receiving notice 11 days prior. According to a paper document at the store's location, they've been given 8 days to vacate. On January 10, 2024, the front door at the Silvercreek Parkway North location in Guelph, Ontario also featured a document with an order from the landlord to vacate within 5 days. The document stated that the location had failed to pay $62,711.88 of owed rent.

References

External links

Hakim Optical
{{Eyewear retailers Eyewear retailers of Canada Canadian companies established in 1967 Retail companies established in 1967 Eyewear companies of Canada Canadian brands 1967 establishments in Ontario