Dear customers and partners,
When I decided to launch my own business in 2007 and create the community eyewear store concept, I had two main objectives.
The first was accessibility. After working in various offices in the Montreal area, I had come to the conclusion that for far too many people, purchasing eyewear had become a luxury, or at the very least, required major sacrifices. Worse still, many people were putting off buying glasses indefinitely because they simply couldn't make it work budget-wise. As an optician, knowing that people were depriving themselves of good vision for budgetary reasons seemed like nonsense. So I based my business model on accessibility, and fifteen years later, I think I can say «mission accomplished»: we now have more than 70 service points and we never raised our base prices since 2007.
The second was to serve as a funding tool for community organizations, who are too often overlooked despite the vital role they play in our society, particularly during inflation periods or economic crises. For several years now, our approach has been simple: every quarter, our team makes the rounds to hand out cheques to our partners. December is the fourth and final tour of the year. It's now time to take stock.
I am therefore able to announce that we gave back a total of $145 000 to our partners in 2023. This is a record, thanks in part to an exceptional media coverage.
I'd like to thank all our customers who continue to spread the word about us. Special thanks to our community partners who are more numerous than ever to welcome us on a regular basis. I would like to also thank the Bonhomme team, also bigger than ever, who helps make a difference not only in people's lives, but for community organizations across Québec as well.
I wish you all Happy Holidays and and see you in 2024!
Philippe Rochette