Herslof Optical Company

What Herslof Optical Company does

Herslof Optical Company (operating as Herslof Opticians) is a family-owned and operated eye care provider founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1941 and now in its third generation of ownership. The company delivers comprehensive vision care services through sixteen community retail locations distributed across Wisconsin's metro, north, south, and west regions, and serves a customer base of individual consumers, safety/occupational workers, and Wisconsin Medicaid vision beneficiaries. Its core product lines are (1) comprehensive eye examinations performed by licensed Wisconsin Doctors of Optometry, (2) prescription eyeglasses — including frames for women, men, children, safety, and specialty uses — that are crafted locally in Wisconsin by in-house technicians, and (3) contact lenses sourced from preferred manufacturers (Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, CooperVision) across daily, extended-wear, multifocal, toric, and colored categories. The business model combines professional services revenue from exams with one-time retail sales of eyewear and contact lenses, distributed exclusively through physical retail showrooms (no e-commerce channel for prescription products) and priced via insurance verification and quote-based consultation across commercial vision plans and Wisconsin Medicaid Vision Insurance. The company markets primarily through its own website, a Facebook presence, and an email newsletter, and uses standard optometry equipment and traditional lens-crafting technology rather than proprietary AI or software systems. Herslof is privately held, headquartered in Milwaukee, and reports a 251-500 employee headcount band.

Name

Herslof Optical Company

Legal name

Herslof Opticians

Website

https://herslof.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Herslof Optical Company is a third-generation, family-owned eye care provider operating 16 community retail locations across Wisconsin, offering locally crafted prescription eyeglasses, comprehensive eye exams, and contact lenses to individual consumers, occupational safety workers, and Wisconsin Medicaid vision beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Retail and Eye Care Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Prescription eyeglasses
• Comprehensive eye exams
• Contact lens fittings
• Optical retail services
• Family eye care

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Eye Exams: Comprehensive eye examinations from licensed Wisconsin Doctors of Optometry utilizing the latest in optical technology
2. Prescription Eyeglasses: Sale of prescription eyewear crafted locally in Wisconsin, including frames for Women, Men, Children, Safety, and Specialty categories, with various lens options
3. Contact Lenses: Sale of contact lenses including daily wear, extended wear, weekly, monthly options, multifocal, toric for astigmatism, and colored lenses. Preferred manufacturers include Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Cooper Vision

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Herslof Optical Company operates a chain of community optical retail locations across Wisconsin delivering comprehensive eye care services. The company provides comprehensive eye examinations by licensed Wisconsin Doctors of Optometry, prescription eyeglasses (frames for Women, Men, Children, Safety, and Specialty categories) crafted locally in Wisconsin, and a full selection of contact lenses including daily, extended wear, multifocal, toric, and colored options, along with contact lens exams and fittings.

Product overview

Herslof Optical Company is a family-owned and operated eye care company offering a unified portfolio of optical products and services across Wisconsin. The core offerings consist of locally-crafted prescription eyeglasses (with frames for women, men, children, safety, and specialty use), comprehensive eye examinations by licensed optometrists, and a full selection of contact lenses including daily, extended wear, multifocal, and toric options. All eyeglasses are manufactured locally in Wisconsin by experienced technicians. The company operates sixteen community locations serving Wisconsin residents with both walk-in and scheduled appointments, and accepts most commercial vision insurance as well as Wisconsin Medicaid vision plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prescription Eyeglasses Prescription eyeglasses crafted locally in Wisconsin, offering a wide selection of frames for Women's, Men's, Children's, Safety, and Specialty needs, with matching lens options for various vision correction requirements including single vision and progressive lenses.
• Comprehensive Eye Exams Comprehensive eye examinations conducted by licensed Wisconsin Doctors of Optometry using current optical technology, with flexible appointment scheduling including same-day options and acceptance of most commercial vision insurance and Wisconsin Medicaid vision plans.
• Contact Lenses and Contact Lens Fittings Full selection of contact lens options including daily wear, extended wear, weekly and monthly disposables, multifocal lenses, toric lenses for astigmatism, and color-changing lenses, with preferred manufacturers including Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Cooper Vision. Contact lens eye exams and fittings are also available.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pearle Vision: Established optical retailer providing eye exams, prescription glasses, and contact lenses through company-owned and franchise locations. Closely aligned with Herslof in optometry-led retail model and family/community positioning, particularly relevant given Herslof's franchise-like multi-site structure.
• LensCrafters: National optical retail chain offering comprehensive eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, and contact lenses across hundreds of U.S. locations. Directly comparable to Herslof in core service offering (exams + eyewear + contacts) and target consumer, but with far broader geographic reach and brand recognition.
• Warby Parker: DTC and retail optical brand offering prescription eyewear, contact lenses, and eye exams through physical stores and a strong online channel. Comparable to Herslof on product category and exam-led model, but a primary competitive threat given Herslof's lack of e-commerce.
• America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses: High-volume optical chain combining eye exams with affordable eyeglasses and contact lenses, including a strong Medicaid and vision-insurance acceptance model. Directly comparable to Herslof's insurance breadth and value-oriented positioning within the prescription eyewear category.

Others

• Bausch + Lomb: Global ophthalmic goods manufacturer of contact lenses, lens care solutions, and eye health products. Herslof explicitly stocks Bausch & Lomb contact lenses, making it both a supplier and adjacent ecosystem participant in the optical supply chain.

Broad incumbents

• Costco Optical: Optical department within Costco Wholesale offering eye exams, prescription eyewear, and contact lenses at value pricing. Competes with Herslof on price-conscious prescription eyewear demand, particularly for families and bulk buyers in Wisconsin metro areas.
• Target Optical: Optical retail operation inside Target stores providing eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses. Overlaps with Herslof in core offering (exam + eyewear) but leverages Target's broader retail traffic and national footprint as a competitive advantage.

Emerging players

• Zenni Optical: Online-only eyewear retailer offering low-cost prescription glasses and contact lenses. A primary disruptive threat to Herslof's prescription eyewear revenue given Herslof's lack of e-commerce, and increasingly relevant in younger consumer segments.

Regional players

• Shopko Optical: Midwest-focused optical retailer with locations across Wisconsin and surrounding states offering eye exams, glasses, and contacts. Comparable regional footprint and community-retail model to Herslof, with overlapping Wisconsin presence.
• Wisconsin Vision: Wisconsin-based optical chain operating multiple locations offering eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses. The most direct regional competitor to Herslof, overlapping in geography (Wisconsin) and service mix (optometry + eyewear retail).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HerslofOpticians

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herslof Optical Company