Photo by Howard Owens
In 1984, Pete Rose returned to the Cincinnati Reds as a player-manager, Lee Trevino won his second PGA championship, the last Volkswagen Rabbit was produced, and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” was a Number One hit.
It was also the year that Bob Chiarmonte took a leap and got into business with Classic Optical, taking up his first property next to the former Jack’s Sports shop, now Hawley’s Insurance, in what was originally the Genesee Country Mall. Nine years later, in October 1993, Chiarmonte moved to his current location at 44 Batavia City Centre, and now Chiarmonte has retired and closed the store after nearly 40 years.
Photo by Howard Owens
A lot of things have changed during that time — the mall had many more clothing and shoe stores — and there was a longtime Sterling Optical that had been where the current Batavia Stagecoach Florist is, he said.
“I thought it’s either the craziest thing I’ve ever done or the smartest thing I’ve ever done,” Chiarmonte said during an interview Friday. “They closed the following year. It was just my luck I moved here when I did.”
That’s one of the memories he’ll hang onto now that he has retired as of the end of December. He obtained his business certificate on Aug. 9, 1984, and it would be 40 years this August of sustaining all of the challenges of legal woes between the Mall Merchants Association and the city, the aftermath of Urban Renewal, COVID and the resulting pandemic, and the typical ups and downs of operating a business in changing economic times.
“COVID was tough because I was closed for three months. A lot of businesses went out of business right after COVID, because it's hard to get through that. I was able to do it … I'm sure I lost customers during the time because people don't wait. But I have a lot of loyal people that stayed with me. I'm very grateful for that,” he said. “A lot of the clientele that I've retained over the years actually became friends. So I will miss the friendship from the people that I got close with over that period. I have had some very loyal clients for all 39 years.”
You might say that Chiarmonte’s path was chiseled while he was still at Williamsville North High School. His brother David, four years older than Bob, was an optician, and his father suggested that Bob also go into the field.
“So that's where I got the idea started. I got a job at a laboratory in downtown Buffalo making eyewear. So I was a lab technician, and I did that for several years, and then just decided that if I was going to stay in the business, I should go back to school, and get my license,” he said. “So that's what I did. Which, consequently, is when I met my wife, she's also an optician.”
He went to Erie Community College, which is where he met his wife, Lisa. After working some more, he wanted his own optical business, and ended up purchasing the Batavia location through a Buffalo optometrist who also had other locations, he said.
That optometrist had a lucrative state contract that catered to union personnel, such as prison guards, for Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties, and that “brought a lot of people to me,” Chiarmonte said. It was only when he wanted to slow down a bit that he signed off the contract and cut back on his hours three years ago, he said.
He acknowledged that he was an eager 28-year-old when he first began, and now, at 68, he’s ready to take a pause to enjoy and visit family, which includes daughters Tristen in Colorado and Leah and his grandson in Vermont, and travel.
He’s proud of what he and his wife largely did by themselves when moving into their current 1,100 square-foot site, which used to house a bank, Chiarmonte said, pointing in front of the counter to indicate where the teller line used to be.
They had a wall and doorway built to form an exam room on the other side of the main reception and display area, and he built the mounts for glass shelving that displays eyeglasses. Lisa refinished all of the furniture — benches and chairs — that greets customers.
At its height, Classic Optical employed four staff for reception, frame styling, and billing work, plus an optician.
He served as president of the Mall Merchants Association for six years and was happy to see a final positive outcome when both sides came to an agreement. He believes that he is leaving the mall on good terms for the future, he said.
“The roof is fixed. All entrances are next on the docket. And there have been a few sales of property here, and a couple of new businesses that have opened. And I think if we continue on this path, I think it's gonna get better,” Chiarmonte said. “I’d like to see something happen with Penney's space, it's such a good space, but otherwise, I think the smaller spaces are going to be easier to sell.
“I’ll still be in contact. I still have friends here, so people will see me around here and there. I spent more of my life in Batavia than I did in Buffalo where I was born,” he said.
Chiarmonte has closed his shop, and plans to sell off the merchandise and eventually sell the property, he said.
