KING & ROSE OPTICAL

FOUNDER: DREW PROVOST

Dr. Provost founded King & Rose as a direct response to the low service and low quality product found at most optical retailers. He designed an eye-care experience to marry high quality eyewear with transparent pricing and showcase unique styles from independent label designers.  

When not seeing patients, Dr. Drew loves a good chat about fast cars and is also a BBQ connoisseur. He enjoys relaxing with family and planning the next adventure to discover new eyewear. I discovered King & Rose through their collab with local womenswear designer Brittany Nicole and have fallen in love with their approach to not just eyewear, but also the "visiting the optometrist" experience. Their shop is minimal in the most beautiful way and sets the tone for the quality of customer service you're about to receive.

Stop by and check out the King & Rose shop for yourself ;)

BIGGEST DEBATE OF ALL: COFFEE or TEA, BE SPECIFIC ;)

This is easy. Coffee. And more coffee. Mostly dark roast from a smattering of local coffee shops, but we’ll do an Americano in the afternoon too. Our next shop will have a true coffee set-up, and we’ll be searching for a barista that can also frame-style :)

WHO DO YOU FOLLOW FOR INSTAGRAM INSPIRATION

I love to keep up with the frame lines that we carry at King and Rose. Ahlem, Krewe, Rigards and others, they all have cool Instagram's. We like to keep it bright and fresh, and almost all of our content from model photos to product photos is original.

WHY DOES KING & ROSE CALL AUSTIN HOME

Austin is at the perfect intersection of growth, creativity, and amazing people. Five years ago my wife and I came to Austin for a weekend and fell in love with the hill country. We said we would move within a year and once we set the plan in action we were here in six weeks! The first place we visited was just down the street from King and Rose so I guess it was meant to be.

FAVORITE SONG/ARTIST/ALBUM FOR A SPARK OF CREATIVITY

Thievery Corporation. A friend of mine got me listening to them years ago and we play them in the store all the time. They have this unique vibe mixing electronica, hip hop, and jazz with a little bit of Indian or Brazilian beats thrown in.

FAVORITE LOCAL CURATED BOUTIQUE(S)

King and Rose of course! Other than eyewear, Weathered Coalition for guys. They have a cool mix of casual, every-day wearables. I used phone-a-friend on this one and the women choose Eliza Page as a go-to for a hand-picked selection of jewelry and Beehive boutique for fun dresses and accessories.

 

FAVORITE LOCAL COFFEE SHOP(S)

Tough question! Hands down Epoch coffee has the best Mocha I’ve ever had. We get them as a special treat every now and then and it is like heaven in a cup. We also frequent La Patisserie right down the street from King and Rose for excellent coffee and the best macarons in Austin.

FAVORITE LOCAL FOOD TRUCK(S)

I don’t get to South Austin much where most of the food trucks are, but there is one called Dock and Roll that has some serious lobster rolls. You can’t go wrong with some chilled fresh Maine lobster on a hot Austin day.

GO TO MID-DAY SNACK or ROUTINE FOR CREATIVE FUEL

Breathing in the vibes of the showroom. We get busy most days working on orders and hashing out marketing plans in the back office so when it comes time for creative fuel we spend a few minutes in our beautiful store that was handcrafted by local Austin artisans. We sit where our customers sit, try on frames, and take in the natural light from our huge front windows.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EXCITING MOMENT SO FAR OF KING & ROSE

I think we all agree that the first time we saw a model we frame-styled walk down the runway at Austin Fashion Week was a defining moment. It made us all realize that what we set out to do, to elevate eyewear in the minds of our customers and share our passion was coming true. I have to give a huge thanks to Bryan, our store manager, and Nicole, our creative expert and frame stylist for giving 110% to make our presentation at Austin Fashion Week a success.

WHAT ARTISTS HAVE YOU LOVED COLLABORATING WITH

Our biggest collaborations so far have been through Austin Fashion Week and I want to send a giant thank you to Matt Swinney and Kylie Bollwitt of Fashion X for helping us get connected to all the designers. We have partnered several times with Ross Bennett and he is truly a force in the design world. Brittany Nicole is one of our favorite designers, she has so many show-stopping looks that work perfectly with our lines. She also looks amazing in every pair of glasses she wears! We have also collaborated with Megan Fullerton, Gunnar Deatheradge, Lizna, and Lee Merritt Swimwear. Many thanks to all of the designers we have worked with so far.

WOULD KING & ROSE BE OPEN TO COLLABORATING WITH A LOCAL AUSTIN ARTIST TO
CREATE AN EYEWEAR COLLECTION

That would be amazing! It has always been our dream to design our own collection based in Austin so being able to collaborate with another Austin creative would be truly special.

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE YOUR BRAND’S MESSAGE STANDS OUT

By staying true to our brand values and presenting our brand with original, engaging content. One sure way to get lost in the shuffle is trying to be everything to everybody and so we
avoid bending to the noise.

WHO/WHAT HAS HAD THE MOST CREATIVE INFLUENCE ON KING & ROSE

The biggest creative influence has been the idea of not thinking of ourselves as an
“optical” or eyewear retailer in the normal context. We are a lifestyle brand with eyewear at its
core that is passionate about products with quality, design, and a story behind them. Something
that you can connect with and that adds value to your day. This allows us to do things on a
more creative level without having to fit a predefined mold.

HOW HAS SOCIAL HELPED YOUR BUSINESS, IF ANY

Social is awesome! That’s what we are all about - connecting and relaying our passion,
so it has been huge to have all of our supporters follow us and engage. It allows us to show our
vendors what we are up to and also help promote people we collaborate with.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE INDEPENDENT LABEL DESIGNERS AT KING & ROSE

First is quality. If the quality isn’t there we don’t go any further with the line. Second is design, there must be either unique design or design elements executed flawlessly. We look for attention to detail and value comfort in addition to aesthetics. Last is the story. In order for the line to connect with customers there has to be some invisible passion present due to the story of how the line was created, or a story behind the way it is made, or the people that design the line. We have looked at over 2,000 pieces of eyewear in one day before during eyewear shows, seeking out new designers. When you put your hands on that many pieces of eyewear at one time it becomes very evident who has something special and who is peddling junk. We get vendors knocking on our door all the time trying to have us carry their product and the answer is usually no. We have heard multiple times from vendors when they come into our store that we have the best collection of lines they have ever seen, and some they have never even seen before. That lets us know we are doing things right.

MUST-SEE RECOMMENDATION FOR THOSE TRAVELING TO AUSTIN

Drive through the hill country and spend a day on the lake! The hills look like the Italian countryside so you get an international feel right in the heart of Texas.

WHERE CAN SUPPORTERS FIND KING & ROSE

Our store is in a hip area of town on Burnet Road in the Marq on Burnet building. We’ll have a pop-up shop showing some exclusive sunglass lines at Fashion X Dallas coming up September 30th which will be a blast. We can also be found on our website and for the latest updates follow our Instagram and Facebook @kingandroseoptical

HOW HAS THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED KING & ROSE

The Austin community is full of friendly and creative people that have embraced our concept. We have met so many wonderful customers and collaborators that feel like family now. I couldn’t imagine having the home base for King and Rose anywhere else.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH AUSTIN KNEW ABOUT KING & ROSE

I wish Austin knew that King and Rose was created to elevate eyewear to the level it deserves. It’s the first thing people see when they meet you, and you wear it on your face! We curate handcrafted, high quality, and beautifully designed pieces of eyewear which means we are not some average eyewear shop selling mass-market glasses.

YOU MENTION TRANSPARENCY WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR PRICING, WHY IS THIS A
PART OF YOUR BRAND’S VALUES

Core to our brand values is having an honest and upfront purchasing experience for our customers. Traditionally, the eyewear buying experience, especially with prescription eyewear, is a convoluted process involving lots of upgrades, insurance, and “deals” which only serve to confuse the customer and reel them in thinking they are getting a lot for a little. Our approach is different. We identify the best product for you based on your style and our professional recommendation and then give it to you at the best value possible. Our pricing is simple and streamlined. All of our prescription lenses come standard with the finest materials along with premium glare-free, scratch, UV coatings, and one year warranty.

 

WHAT SETS YOU A PART FROM OTHER OPTOMETRISTS IN AUSTIN

We are totally different by design. We want our customers to see eyewear as their most important accessory and as something that can amp up their look while being functional at the same time. Our approach is about helping you to see better and placing equal importance on making sure you are confident and stylish. We eliminate distractions during the process and create a no-fuss experience to keep the focus on you. Come in and check us out. Oh, and we do Mimosas on Saturdays!