Made in the Shade... at Petoskey‘s Sunglass Shoppe

You might not think of something as specialized as a sunglass shop being able to “make it” in seasonal Northern Michigan. Well, The Sunglass Shoppe owner Robin Bennett hears it all the time. “People walking by our store often comment on that,” she laughs. But The Sunglass Shoppe is proving all of them wrong, by simply being very good at what they specialize in.
The original Sunglass Shoppe was - and still is - located in Charlevoix, a product of Robin’s husband’s boredom in the summers.
“My husband, Barry Bennett, is a teacher - one of the band directors, actually - in Petoskey,” she explains. “He’s been there for 18 years, and of course has summers off. And my father-in-law is an optometrist. So, The Sunglass Shoppe actually started out just as a dinner table conversation back in 1989, but it wasn’t long before Barry was running our little shop in Charlevoix from mid-June until he had to return to teaching in September. Even though it started as more of a hobby, we started picking up more and more sunglass lines, so it kept him busy all summer.”
In 1995, Barry Bennett’s parents retired, moved up north, and were hired to help run the store; Robin’s mother-in-law, Velma Bennett, has been particularly helpful in keeping things running, especially at the Charlevoix location.

SUNGLASS EMPIRE
In February 2002, the Bennetts expanded their miniature sunglass empire to Petoskey, where they found a location downtown next to Bearcub Outfitters and Apron Strings apparel.
“Charlevoix can still be kind of a seasonal location, in spite of all of the great customers and friends we’ve met there,” Robin Bennett muses, “it’s just part of the locale, I suppose. But Petoskey is more of a year-round store. The nice thing about both stores is that we get a lot of people that return year after year after year - many of our customers will go and travel the world, and then return to us to get new sunglasses. So that’s pretty great.”
Perhaps it’s the selection that brings clients back to The Sunglass Shoppe. “We do try to integrate lines that you may not find elsewhere in the area,” Bennett says.
Their wide variety of lenses includes the newest models by the likes of Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Tag Heuer, Smith, Rayban, Maui Jim, Revo, and Kaenon - even Paris Hilton-worthy labels such as Prada and Versace, which can be difficult to find in Northern Michigan, are represented here. The Sunglass Shoppe is also a premium dealer for Oakley, which means they often get in exclusive colors and models from the popular brand; they’re an authorized Chanel dealer as well.

CELEB PEEPERS
Even celebrities - another rare Northern Michigan sighting - are making The Sunglass Shoppe a regular stop.
“Julie Kavner - who is, of course, the voice of Marge Simpson on “The Simpsons” show - is one of our regulars,” Bennett chuckles, “it’s quite a kick to hear her come in and say, “Oh, hiiiiii!” in that distinctive voice.”
But don’t let the brands - or the clientele - frighten your pocketbook if you’re on a more modest budget.
“We like to have a diverse range of prices as well as a diverse range of brands,” Bennett says, “our glasses start at around $35, and can go up to around $400. It just depends on what you’re looking for and how much you’d like to spend.”
The shop also carries binoculars, ski goggles, sun-readers, and watches. “In the last couple of years, we’ve also expanded our line of Swiss Army and Fossil watches,” Bennett says, “so that’s another neat thing that we have to offer our clients.”
And it is all about the clients for the Bennetts. With the average life of a pair of sunglasses only being around 60 days, not due to quality but just to human error (as in, losing them, sitting on them, or finding out that the dog ate them), The Sunglass Shoppe is more of a necessary business than those passers-by might think. “We are definitely unique, in that we mostly sell just one thing,” Robin Bennett concludes, “but it’s amazing just how many pairs of sunglasses we do sell.”

The Sunglass Shoppe is located at 325 E. Lake Street in downtown Petoskey, telephone (231) 348-4730. Their Charlevoix location is located next to The Villager restaurant at 415 Bridge Street in Charlevoix, telephone (231)-547-4730.



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