Lure-Eyes Offers Essential Gear for Fisherman

Lure-Eyes
Owners: Jason Loyd and Yuichi Sakai
Address: 602 S.W. 14th St., Bentonville 72712
Phone: 501-464-2800
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Start-up date: Sept. 21
E-mail address: [email protected]
Internet address: www.lureeyes.com

Partners Jason Loyd and Yuichi Sakai have set up shop in Northwest Arkansas to arm every fisherman with a pair of ray-deflecting sunglasses. Sealing raw sunlight from view with a full-wrap style, Lure-Eyes offers marine sportsmen a polarized look under the water by eliminating the reflection from the water’s surface with their new brand of sunglasses.

“It’s another essential piece of gear for a day on the water,” Loyd said.

A 3,500-SF warehouse stores the ready-to-ship sunglasses. Including inventory costs, the partners invested $500,000 to open Lure-Eyes. Sakai’s family owns an optical manufacturing plant in Japan, and Sakai manages production of the shades from there. The Northwest Arkansas office plans to distribute the product.

After seven years in the optical business, Loyd said he wanted to produce and sell his own sunglasses. Beginning in Northwest Arkansas, Loyd said he plans to eventually ship the goods all over the United States.

With the lakes in the area, there should be a good market base for the glasses, he said. Six styles, each with two-frame color options and two lens color options, make up the Lure-Eyes product line.

Loyd said that a small staff should fit the business’ needs and that the two employees working in the warehouse are able to perform the job for now.

Although the shades will be marketed mainly to fishermen, other target clientele include sailors, water-skiers and wind surfers.