Hip eyewear firm sees potential in Tampa

TAMPA — New York-based eyewear company Warby Parker is expanding its Florida presence with a showroom in Tampa set to open on Saturday, Feb. 20.

The showroom will open in the Oxford Exchange bookstore at 420 W. Kennedy Blvd., according to a statement from Warby Parker. The Tampa location will be Warby Parker's second in Florida. Its first Florida retail location opened in Miami's Wynwood Art District last spring.

“There is a natural connection between vision and reading, and our love of books is a huge part of the Warby Parker DNA,” says Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, in the statement.

Warby Parker was founded in 2010 as an online-only designer eyewear retailer. The company now has more than 25 brick-and-mortar locations, according to its website.