Content via Women in Optometry, used with permission:
Jenny Cha, OD, opened OculusDocs in April 2023, after 20+ years working as a leaseholder in a retail optometry setting. “It’s been a good ride and quite a journey,” she says. A series of rollercoasters including a cancer diagnosis, a professional divorce and the pandemic pushed her forward to pursue a dream. She returned to a vision she had when she graduated optometry school: opening a cute, boutique-style practice. “It made me reevaluate, and I realized that it was what I always wanted,” she says. “For my 50th birthday, I thought I wanted a new bathroom. But I wanted a new practice instead.”
OculusDocs, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, is a place where Dr. Cha can focus on providing a high standard of preventative care. It’s so important to her that she’s incorporated it into her tagline: Wellness Through Eye Care. She always talks to patients about their overall health beyond their eyes, incorporating messages on good health habits, as well as protection from light exposure and visual hygiene when using devices. While it took some time to get there, Dr. Cha shared how everything moved quickly once she started down this path as a business owner.
ACCELERATED OPENING TIMELINE
The search for a space began in the summer of 2022. It was a bit of a challenge, she says, dealing with non-competes for two offices. Fortunately, where Dr. Cha lives in Glastonbury was a middle ground between her previous offices that fell outside of those clauses. The land was formerly home to a dilapidated farmhouse that was torn down for new construction. It’s on the edge of a residential area with other professional offices nearby.
What started as more of a leisurely process switched gears in that fall. Her previous leaseholder location had a slew of issues. While she was planning to make an exit, she was suddenly told she had to close by November 2022—several months before she planned to. Dr. Cha closed on the space on February 1, 2023, and she was seeing patients by February 9. It was a quick turnaround, and Dr. Cha is grateful to her builder for accommodating her goal so she wasn’t left without an income for too many months.
Dr. Cha purchased and combined two medical condos for a total of 3,000 square feet. For now, she’s separated 400 square feet and is renting that area to an aesthetic nurse with a medical spa. The extra income helps cover taxes, and she could grow into that space if needed. Her doctors—Meghan Kelleman, OD, and Mike Kelleman, OD, as well as her optometry school roommate Kerry O’Neal, OD—each work just a few days per week to fill out the schedule. She has three exam lanes that they cycle through.
COVERING ALL THE DETAILS
Dr. Cha says that she never designed anything like this before, but she was excited to dive in and pick colors and details. “I am not the best decision maker,” she says, laughing. “I wanted it to be perfect, and it turned out great.” A combination of accent colors and artwork bring the space to life, and she says that patients comment and seem to appreciate the office atmosphere.
The space is bright and welcoming with the optical on the left and the check-in area on the right. “I tell my staff that all the little details matter.” That was also particularly true as she designed the space. She invited a friend who is talented with flower design to create seasonal foliage displays at the entrance to the practice. “The pretty flowers are the first thing you see.”
There’s a coffee bar for patients and a waiting area with comfortable chairs to sit in. There was no online ordering involved here. Dr. Cha says that she tried at least 50 different chairs in her quest for the perfect seat—a chair with arms and that would feel comfortable no matter what size the patient may be. “An older person has to be able to get out of it.” Patients notice the attention that Dr. Cha spent, as she says patients and reps alike are always commenting that they want to stay a little longer and that it feels like home.
A LOYAL FOLLOWING
Dr. Cha came to Connecticut in 1997 and started working with Lenscrafters. She took over the lease at her location in 2000. Dr. Cha is grateful for the patients who came with her on the move, some who she had been seeing in her previous office for 20 years. “I’ve tried to build a good community with my patients and now they feel like they have became extended family,” she says. Some travel further now just to see her, and she even has some patients who live out of state. Thanks to their following, she was able to open this practice with a full schedule. “There are many choices, deals and options out there, but they are loyal. My community has been integral. You can feel the blessings—our garden is blossoming.”
Dr. Cha enjoys the interactions with every patient; it’s the part of her job that makes each day unique and awesome, she says. Her entire team is dedicated to providing thorough eye care. “I tell my staff to make a connection with each patient,” she says. “It makes your day, it makes their day and it helps us grow in so many ways.” Patients notice—it’s evident through the wealth of Google Reviews complimenting her team and staff. She takes time to respond to each one.
“In the past two years, I have been able to grow that community feeling,” she says. “I’m in my hometown, I have two teenaged kids who played sports and went to the public school in town.” She appreciates when those who have grown up around her family come in and support her practice.
THE REWARD OF OWNERSHIP
Ownership has had its ups and downs, but Dr. Cha is grateful for the freedom she has now. “It has been very rewarding to be independent,” Dr. Cha says. “I wish I had done this sooner. Private practice has been a lot of fun.”