OWNERS: Stacey Jones, OD, and Jarrod Jones, DDS; URL: eyesmilehays.com; FACEBOOK: facebook.com/eyesmilehays; INSTAGRAM: : instagram.com/eyesmilehays; FOUNDED: 2019; AREA: 500 sq. ft.; Buildout cost: : $1.315 million; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Commercial Builders, Eye Designs, The Furniture Look, Regeena’s, Design Ergonomics; TOP BRANDS: Tura, OWP, 141, State, Arbor, Alcon, J&J, B&L, Coopervision, Essilor, Varilux, Crizal, Transitions | AREA: 2,000 sq. ft (vision)/4,000 sq. ft (dental); EMPLOYEES: 4 full-time, 2 part-time
Stacey Jones, OD, and Jarrod Jones, DDS
A S YOUNG NEWLYWEDS in professional school in Houston, OD-to-be Stacey Jones and future dentist Jarrod Jones had a vision of practicing under the same roof. Two decades later that dream began to come together when, in the fall of 2017, a dilapidated gas station came up for sale in the historic Chestnut Street District in their small town of Hays, KS. They fell in love with the location and jumped at the opportunity to bring their vision to life, finally opening the doors of eyeSMILE Vision + Dental in 2019.
Eager to preserve not only the integrity of the mission-style 1930s building, but also the legacy of a full-service gas station, the Joneses’ goal was to create a space where “patients experienced small-town hospitality coupled with the look and feel of something more urban,” says Dr. Stacey Jones.
The resulting practice achieves that with vintage flare: Raw brick and window openings in the waiting room are from the original 1930s structure, the original Terrazzo flooring was maintained and is now home to the optical space, and glass block windows and a fireplace dating to a 1940s renovation were salvaged in the treatment planning room. In the hallway, accent lighting features a mid-century modern bow tie wall sconce, while the waiting room furniture’s design, color and fabric also invoke the era. A cool moss wall fills the space of the original exterior gas station windows, and the break room is outfitted with red-and-white diner chairs with black retro diner tables. The children’s play area, “Jones Super Service,” replicates the original Shell gas station.
The optometric and dental practices share a central check-in, waiting room, playroom, restrooms and check-out, creating a degree of operational synergy the couple hadn’t anticipated. Here, a team member greets each guest with a smile and an energetic welcome. “First impressions are so important. We have this awesome building and when you are greeted with a person whose only job is to make you feel welcome, we think it sets the tone for the entire patient experience,” says Jones. This greeter also monitors patient flow with the help of video cameras placed throughout the building, and all team members wear headsets to ensure constant communication regarding guests’ experience. (Occasionally another greeter is on hand: Sunny Lu, the office Shih Tzu.) “While we are two separate practices and operate as two separate businesses, there is significant overlap in the interactions between the two. Oftentimes patients will schedule their eye exam on the same day as a routine dental cleaning. This has certainly helped our recall scheduling,” says Jones, who is grateful to Neil Freemer at Eye Designs Group and Dion Harmon at Crystal Practice Management, among other partners in the early days.
Glass block windows and a fireplace dating to a 1940s renovation were salvaged as the Joneses converted the historic location into a medical setting.
eyeSMILE serves as the primary eyecare provider not only to Hays’ 20,000 residents, but also much of western Kansas, which Jones describes as “an underserved healthcare desert.” Despite this wide demographic, eyeSMILE sought to set itself apart by finding private label, unique frame lines that couldn’t be found easily in the region, including OWP, Arbor, Nano, 141, mó and Tura.
Given their location, Jones does a lot of medical optometry, along with primary care, and also provides vision therapy two days a week. With the arrival of the pandemic, she started utilizing some telemedicine procedures, which have been maintained. She shouts out Essilor’s lens products and Alcon, J&J and Coopervision as her CL go-tos.
With such a distinctive location and business model, eyeSMILE finds it doesn’t need to pay for traditional marketing. Instead, it cultivates a strong presence in the community, supporting local sports teams and competitions, sponsoring theater productions and giving to “every fundraiser that comes through the door.”
They have worked hard to develop a website that can accommodate both practices within one web address, with Facebook and Instagram used to showcase some of the fun things the team does in the office and community.
Jones takes pains to credit her “amazing team who support and believe in us.” She and her husband foster a culture of knowledge, paying for employees to further their education. The value placed on team building is reflected in the practice’s formidable list of bonding activities, which include — to name just a few — crafting evenings, learning flower arranging, Christmas scavenger hunts, and attending Farm to Fork dinner events to support Farmer’s Market vendors. And the Joneses’ thoughtfulness looks set to have an impact well into the future: This year, they paid for each family to get wills set up as a way of protecting their loved ones.
1. TUNED IN. eyeSMILE recently added a fully operational 1955 AMI G-120 Jukebox to the check-in area. “It’s super cool and patients of all ages love it,” says Jones.
2. LIVE & LEARN. Team members are financially supported to take the CPO, CPOA and CPOT exams.
3. GIVING BACK. Among many other community activities, the practice sponsors the ‘Helping Hands’ award to provide vision and dental screenings to elementary schools.
4. PIT STOP. The parking lot on Main St. is prime real estate for parade-goers, who are treated to popcorn and hot chocolate. (Hays loves itself a parade: There are at least five a year.)
5. OL’ TIMEY. The entrance to the playroom is a nod to the site’s original gas station and owner, ‘Jep’s Super Service: Best in the West.’
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After years covering some of the farther flung corners of the world of business journalism, Heath has more recently focused on covering the efforts of independent eyecare professionals to negotiate a fast-changing industry landscape. Contact him at [email protected]
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