During a walk down memory lane, João and Rui Pereira tell us about ótica, which they created 60 years ago in their hometown, whilst reminding us of part of the sector’s history.  Father and son, and fellow professionals, admit that the path has not always been easy, but “against all odds” and armed with the right tools, the Óptica S.Vicente – Covilhã is here to stay.

The Óptica S.Vicente – Covilhã is celebrating its 60th anniversary. What are the most memorable moments of Optica?

João Pereira: Six decades ago, and after having spent four years in Lisbon in training in the optic sector, I started my activity as an optician in Covilhã, the city where I came from and where I have always lived. As a record of these long but fruitful 60 years, I want to and must remember is the persistent and sincere friendship created and maintained between practically all the opticians of that time, that under the banner of our organisation, then called the National Guild of Opticians’ Merchants and later, by legal imperative, became the National Opticians’ Association, we did everything for the sake of that recognition. Many good opticians, some of whom are no longer with us and to whom I pay a heartfelt tribute, these colleagues, whom I have had the privilege of knowing  and acquiring enormous knowledge from. To all of them I will be eternally grateful.

What is it like to run a business of six decades of existence?

JP: To analyse how to run a 60-year-old business you have to look back and remember how things used to be back then. At that time, assembling glasses implied what nowadays could be called true craftsmanship, requiring great mastery and delicacy in the assembly of the lenses. All this required extreme care, but gave us enormous joy. This was how it worked at that time, especially in small opticians, and we had to be absolutely capable of resolving by hand all the situations that could come up. All, or almost all, of these ways of working have fallen into disuse with time, but in my particular case, I must confess that I still take great pleasure in working in these old ways. Nowadays, to have and keep a true optical establishment you need real laboratories, which require a lot from us, and in my case in particular, a great deal of effort in keeping up with new techniques.

Therefore, our main goal is, despite our age, which can be a limiting factor, to provide our followers with tools, whether they are sons, daughters or other descendants. In my case, my two children with the appropriate degree who have been in optics practically forever, will have the duty to determine these goals.

What message would you like to pass on to all of our readers, and to all of your colleagues in the profession?

Rui Pereira: What is important is to be increasingly better professionals and true colleagues, so that our profession continues to be truly accepted and respected.

Read the full interview in our ÓpticaPro 228.