Kristiena Bobocel wants Edmonton to realize that glasses are not limited to what you see on the shelves of typical eyewear stores, similar to the one that her parents owned when she was growing up. Instead, Bobocel curates eyewear, focusing on investing in high-quality products. “Like buying a piece of art that you would have in your home, it’s the same thing as art for your face,” she says. In her exploration of alternative careers before coming back to her optical roots, Bobocel studied aesthetics, which she says helps her when curating eyewear for her clients.
With more than 30 years of optical experience, Bobocel has generational clients. In one such case, she described a client she had been helping for around 20 years. As his prescription kept changing, each new set of lenses was traced and remade. However, recently Bobocel and her team realized that his new lenses did not fit in his frames. “Normally, you probably wouldn’t have been able to help him,” tells Bobocel. “But because I have a great relationship with my vendors, they were able to step up and help him out.” This vendor was able to send replacement parts, and Bobocel was able to guide her client in finding a similar, but “refreshed” version of his original pair.
When you walk into Eye District, you notice first what is missing: the rows and rows of glasses on display. And it’s a smaller space than you might expect. Bobocel was inspired by optical shows in Milan, and she stores her glasses in tall cases with drawers. It’s more of a boutique apothecary experience than a box store. Rather than overwhelming clients with options, the glasses are tailored to each individual and their lifestyle, so there is no need for the flashy grandeur of endless possibilities. Every sale starts with a conversation, and Bobocel brings out a few purposeful options for customers to try.
She believes in bricks-and-mortar businesses. Her shop is located in downtown Edmonton, so Bobocel has encountered unhoused people in the area, and she wondered about their lack of access to optical care. So she decided to act. “I truly believe that we are as strong as our weakest link,” she says. Bobocel began asking clients to donate unused eyewear and, working with the Bissell Centre, she offered optical services to its client base of underserved people.
“Maybe I’m saving them from somebody coming up behind them and attacking them, because now they can see,” says Bobocel. If not that, she has certainly eased their burden by giving people access to a better quality of life. After three years of collaborating with the Bissell Centre, she says that providing fundamental eye care has added value to Edmonton’s downtown residents, no matter their circumstances.
For Bobocel, the two sides of her business, luxury and community, do not contradict each other. They reflect the same core value: everyone deserves to be seen, listened to and shown care. “We want to know about them,” she says of her clients, whether they are purchasing one of her independent designer brands in her studio, or are receiving a donated pair at the Bissell Centre. “We want to understand what makes them who they are.”
This article appears in the April 2026 issue of Edify
