New York eyewear institution Moscot expands retail presence with shop in Toronto’s Yorkville

Moscot is a fifth-generation, family-owned eyewear company that has called New York’s Lower East Side home since 1915.Moscot

It’s hard to miss Moscot’s bright yellow storefront when you visit New York’s Lower East Side, the neighbourhood that the fifth-generation, family-owned eyewear company has called home since 1915. Now, the retailer has expanded its retail presence north of the border with a shop in Toronto’s Yorkville, which joins the brand’s 16 standalone stores in North America, Europe, Britain and Asia.

“Our goal is to tell our story around the world in key cities like Toronto where we have a core loyal following of people who appreciate our product, our heritage, our brand and what we do,” says chief design officer Zack Moscot, who runs the company alongside his father, chief executive and doctor of optometry, Dr. Harvey Moscot. “There are very few companies that do what we do with the lineage that we have and the attention to craft.”

Today, Moscot’s fans gravitate to its timeless and fashionable frames such as the bestselling Lemtosh.Moscot

Moscot traces its roots in American eyewear back to Hyman Moscot, an optician and the family’s great-great-grandfather who arrived in the United States from Eastern Europe through Ellis Island in 1899 and began selling ready-made eyeglasses from a cart on Orchard Street. “At the time – obviously, it was over 100 years ago – it wasn’t so sophisticated,” Zack says.

Today, Moscot’s fans gravitate to its timeless and fashionable frames such as the bestselling Lemtosh, an acetate style available in four sizes. “We’ve always been known for our expertise in providing someone with the proper vision and the proper fit,” Moscot says.

Moscot, 153 Cumberland St., Toronto, 437-837-1201, ca.moscot.com.