A conversation with Doctor
Tanya Gill of Oakland Vision Center
In
2007, when she decided to take over the Oakland Vision Center practice that has
been open since the 1970s, some questioned her decision. “My parents kept asking me if I was sure,”
Dr. Gill explains. But she couldn’t have
been surer. “I am very invested in this
city! I own this business in Oakland, I own a home in Oakland and my husband also
works in Oakland. And, when I hire my
employees, well… let’s just say you get bonus points if you live here.”
Dr.
Gill’s investment in Oakland has paid off.
Recently, Invision Magazine awarded Oakland Vision Center the title of “Top Independent Eyecare
Business in the U.S.”
“It’s
a huge deal, I still can’t believe I won!” she said.
In addition to complete medical eyecare services, the Oakland
Vision Center offers top independent frame lines and even a line of natural
eyecare products, We Love Eyes, that Dr.
Gill launched in June and is distributing nationally via other optometrists.
“We
Love Eyes came by accident,” explained Dr. Gill. “We were looking for a hashtag
for our social media campaign and almost gave up – then staff said ‘Well you
love eyes’… and that was it! All that
time, it was staring us in the face. We are selling a lifestyle brand. We love eyes-
not just eyecare--its about taking care of people, including natural non-toxic
products for the eyes.”
Part
of Dr. Gill’s social media campaign is ‘shop local’ and she thinks it’s
important to spread that message. “If
others spread that message, it would go a long way,” she said.
Dr.
Gill not only encourages shopping local, but she also exemplifies local Oakland
pride. On Fridays, staff is allowed to
wear graphic t-shirts, so long as they demonstrate Oakland pride. “That is when
I wear my shirts from Oaklandish! And now we even have patients showing up in
their Oakland gear on Fridays. It’s
really fun!”
Oakland
Vision Center/Dr. Gill Quick Facts:
- See Dr. Gill’s video interview with Invision Magazine here: http://invmag.us/gill
- Oakland Vision Center Accepts MANY forms of insurance, including Medicare.
- Dr. Gill’s We Love Eyes current line includes tea tree makeup remover oil, tea tree cleansing oil and tea tree foaming cleanser.
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