Platzhirsch for unique glasses.
Have you noticed the inspiring shop windows at Vadianstrasse 15? A look into the store raises questions: Is it a coffee bar, a fashion store, an architecture firm? In this article, we show you what there is to discover at Platzhirsch Optik.
An assortment for the Platzhirsch and the fawn
The name Platzhirsch is unusual for an optician's store. But the name remains in the memory. In addition to glasses and sunglasses for adults, there are also fashionable glasses for the little ones in the basement, i.e. for the "fawns". Since buying glasses can be exhausting for children, the oversized marble run and the play car help to keep the kids happy
"With us you can find glasses that not everyone or everyone has".
Patrick Zollinger, owner Platzhirsch Optics
Small labels and rare pieces
"At our store, you'll find eyewear that not everyone or anyone has," says owner Patrick Zollinger. "We focus on small, fine eyewear labels that come from Germany, Austria, Italy, France, America or Japan." These include, for example, a company that makes plant-based eyewear. This involves extracting a powder from the castor bean tree. This powder is used to print the frame of the glasses.
The credo of Platzhirsch Optik is "love instead of logo". The top dogs have kept particularly rare pieces in their cellar. Here you can find "vintage" glasses from America. Specifically, the glasses, which date back to 1930, for example, are restored and refurbished and so you definitely get very unique glasses. Platzhirsch Optik was also the first store in the city with the then trendy wooden glasses in 2010.
The credo of Platzhirsch Optik is "love instead of logo".
Craftsmanship in demand
Getting an insight into the profession as an optician is impressive. That's because the profession offers diverse, varied work. This includes everything from advising customers, to the creative flair for the presentation of goods in the shop window, to adjusting the many machines so that the ordered lenses are cut correctly. In addition, there is the individual grinding of the lens edges so that the lenses fit perfectly into the spectacle frame, as well as general repairs.
If you continue your education after completing your bachelor's degree in optometry, you will also have to perform tasks such as eye tests and issuing prescriptions (e.g. for contact lenses). With the additional training, one also receives the authorization to run one's own optician's store in the canton of St. Gallen. The two owners, Patrick Zollinger and Jörg Kosits, also continued their education after completing their training. In the process, the two business partners finally got to know each other and decided in 2003 to set up their own business.
Personal recommendations from the clientele
You won't find Platzhirsch Optik on social media. This is a conscious decision, as Patrick Zollinger explains to us: "We were active on social media, but realized that this takes up a lot of time. We would rather concentrate on advising our customers. Digitally on the go is Platzhirsch Optik nonetheless. They have been presenting all their glasses on their online store for two years. Many customers research online first and then come by the store to try on the glasses. Most people visit their store based on personal recommendations.
Our series "Stories from St.Gallen's trade and industry".
In the series "Geschichten aus dem Gewerbe" we regularly present a business from the city of St.Gallen. We follow the relay principle, whereby the portrayed business always recommends a next business. The team of Platzhirsch Optik would like to see the Klosterdrogerie in the portrait.
