In recent years there's been a push to revitalize the downtown area in my town, and it's taken a massive PR effort (along with business development, etc.) to shift the momentum and get residents thinking about patronizing local businesses in Dedham Square. Sometimes it's the strangest things that can sway a customer...
A couple of years ago I watched as my son pressed his nose against the glass of Gopen Optical during the Square's annual Holiday Stroll. The reason? Model trains set in a winter background chugging along in the window display. The kids squeezed shoulder to shoulder, and if you were quickly passing by, you might have thought it were a toy store.
The display had nothing to do with eyeglasses, but it had everything to do with building good community relations. I doubt that anyone went in that evening to purchase a new pair of glasses. (Maybe I'm wrong, but how often do people buy eyeglasses?) Still, it was a nice thing to do, and it stuck with me so much I knew exactly where I would go when I got a new prescription for lenses.
Not surprisingly, the service was friendly and prompt today. In an hour I had new lenses plus a tune-up of my sunglasses. And as a bonus, the train set is still in the window.
