Lifestyle

Warby Parker co-founders have a their eyes on growing glasses biz

Names: Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal

Jobs: Co-CEOs of Warby Parker, the online eyewear retailer.

Along with two fellow co-founders, Blumenthal, 33, a Greenwich Village native, and San Diegan Gilboa, 33, hatched the idea for a line of direct-to-consumer designer glasses while pursuing their MBAs at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2010, they officially launched their e-commerce biz out of Blumenthal’s Philadelphia apartment, and orders for their $95 vintage-inspired frames flooded in. Since then, the company has expanded into sunglasses and brick-and-mortar stores (including three in New York).

“We thought there was this big opportunity, but never thought in a million years that we would grow so quickly,” says Gilboa, as he surveys the rows of (mostly bespectacled) young employees in their West Soho headquarters. “It’s kind of surreal.”

Office space: A vast, sun-flooded floor serves as temporary headquarters while the company builds out a trio of higher floors in the building to accommodate their ever-growing staff.

The open floor plan takes collaborative workspace to a new level: Not only do all employees, including Blumenthal and Gilboa, sit at side-by-side desks, but an open-to-the-public showroom in one corner allows for a rare mix of customers and corporate employees.

Decor: Styled to evoke the brand’s modern-retro eyewear aesthetic, the space boasts a cultivated mix of old and new: An antique oriental rug and worn leather chairs sit atop stark concrete floors in the reception area; a smattering of vintage globes adorn employees’ streamlined Parsons-style desks.

Stacks of vintage books from the Strand are displayed throughout the office, in a nod to the company’s name (Warby Parker is a mash-up of two Kerouac characters).

“It’s clean, simple design — which is what we believe in,” says Blumenthal.

Detritus: For Blumenthal’s 33rd birthday, his team gifted him 33 of his favorite things — and the trove of goodies spills out across the partners’ (otherwise bare) back-to-back desks: a Hall & Oates “Greatest Hits” CD, a pair of Nike Air Max 1s (Blumenthal collects them) and a snow globe featuring a certain oft-uttered curse word.

Gilboa displays a Barbie holding a “Best Office Ever” sign — a gift from his team, marking the company’s one-year anniversary.

Commute: Gilboa lives in the WestVillage, while Blumenthal calls GramercyPark home. Both men bike to the office as often as weather permits.

Blumenthal started wheeling to work with the debut of CitiBikes but opts for a cab when the temperature dips.

“When I’m in a taxi, I’m feverishly reading my e-mail,” he says. “[Biking] gives me an opportunity to clear my head, so I come to the office refreshed.”

Routine: Before arriving at the office at about 8:30 a.m., both partners make efficient use of early-morning hours: Blumenthal spends quality time with his 2 ½-year-old son, Griffin, while Gilboa squeezes in an early workout.

The duo generally leave the office at about 8 p.m. and head to regular work events and dinners.

Work style: The pair spend most of their days in back-to-back meetings throughout the office and make a concerted effort to unplug after-hours.

“I try not to look at a screen for about an hour before bed,” says Gilboa. “Early on Neil and I would be e-mailing each other at 3 or 4 in the morning. Now, we try to incorporate a bit more balance.”