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New Optometry Shop Location Is Out Of Sight

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By PAUL CATALA The Sun

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2008

For 30 years, the Finnegan family has helped Sun City Center area residents make the world around them a better sight.

And since the beginning of December, the Finnegans have focused on continuing to provide professional optometry, glasses and frame service at their new location.

Now open at 1647 Sun City Center Plaza, across from the Sun City Center post office, the Finnegans have a new outlook on business at a more centralized location. The Finnegans hosted a grand opening celebration Dec. 8 featuring a sidewalk sale, a raffle for new eyeglasses and a wine tasting.

In 1978, when Michael and Frank Finnegan began working for their father, Frank Sr., in Sun Hill Optical's old location, 102 S. Pebble Beach Blvd., there wasn't much to the shopping district and State Road 674 was just a two-lane road.

The optometry and eyeglass shop was just around 750 square feet back then, and there was an inventory of about 500 frames to choose from.

In those days, brothers Michael and Frank Jr. spent their after-school hours and weekends helping Frank Sr. fill orders, file or just clean up around the store. Frank remembers bringing his surfboard with him to help out after a day of surfing on the east coast.

In later years, the days of mentoring with their father paid off and the brothers, along with their mother, Mary, carried on Sun Hill Optical after Frank Sr. died in 1989 at age 53 from colon cancer.

After moving to the Sun Hill Medical Center, 4020 S.R. 674, where they spent seven years, the family moved to a larger Pebble Beach Boulevard location. But now, with experience and name-recognition behind them, Sun Hill has again relocated - and the Finnegans said the response has been overwhelmingly favorable.

"It's much easier to get to down here than when they were located up stairs," said Marianne Strehar, a Sun Hill customer for about 20 years, as Sun Hill associate Lori Cagle took eyeglass fitting readings during the grand opening. "I like it here. It's more open."

Sitting in an examination office, Frank, 44, said what customers told him about the new location was it was the benefit of being right across from the Sun City Center post office. He said he gets customers who come in when the line at the post office is long to look for glasses or be examined. There are two board-certified optometric physicians - doctors Donald Szabo and Walt Flora - on staff.

"We have a better location and a much better selection of frames now," said Frank, who holds a bachelors degree in business from the University of Tampa. "People love the location. It's more practical now."

Along with cataract, retinal, vision and glaucoma eye examinations, Sun Hill has frames from $29 to over $300 for designer names like Coach, Vogue and Dolce & Gabbana.

As he helped Zander Krowitz adjust a new pair of frames, Michael, 49, said customers are telling him the new location is much more convenient. He said he hopes to see the business grow in Sun City Center and at their other locations in Riverview and Valrico.

"They (customers) know we're here to take care of all of their optical needs," he said. "I think we're in a better space when people need their glasses adjusted or repaired."
Sun Hill Optical is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (813) 634-6344 for information.

Reporter Paul Catala may be reached at (813) 865-1554 or pcatala@mediageneral.com.

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