- Story by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

For Jason and Carrie Maycock, running Victoria91裸聊视频檚 oldest family-owned eye care business comes with a lot of responsibility 91裸聊视频� but the couple, who are passionate about eye care and eye wear, wouldn91裸聊视频檛 have it any other way.

91裸聊视频淚t will be 70 years this year, which is pretty amazing,91裸聊视频� says Dr. Jason Maycock. 91裸聊视频淢y grandfather started the business in 1949 and we still have some of his patients who see us, which is pretty incredible.91裸聊视频�

Jason and Carrie took the reins of the third-generation business in 2015 after his parents, Brian and Karen Maycock, officially retired. Jason, who91裸聊视频檚 an optometrist, worked with his parents for nine years before that, expanding services at Maycock Eyecare in 2006 to include eye exams 91裸聊视频� prompting the name change from Maycock Optical 91裸聊视频� after returning from school and residency work in the United States.

91裸聊视频淭aking over the business, I think, was always in the back of my mind, and after I went to optometry school I was able to take the business and the history and the heritage and add another level to it,91裸聊视频� the 41-year-old explains. 91裸聊视频淲e were able to bring a whole new focus into the business.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频�

Forty-year-old Carrie, who has a nursing background and is a licensed optician, worked with Karen for a full year before she retired, learning the ins and outs of running the business and making for an easy transition.

91裸聊视频淭hey were very successful. We91裸聊视频檝e just kind of taken that and we have our own spin on things, but that91裸聊视频檚 really our foundation,91裸聊视频� Carrie says.

91裸聊视频淪uccession is not always easy but it was as smooth as it possibly could have been for us and my parents are still available for consultation,91裸聊视频� adds Jason. 91裸聊视频淲e ask them the odd thing but mainly they come in shopping for nice glasses.91裸聊视频�

It was a very different story when Brian took over the business from his father and company founder, Ronald Maycock, back in 1971 under some very stressful circumstances.

91裸聊视频淢y dad was in accounting school when my grandfather had a really bad stroke and couldn91裸聊视频檛 maintain the business. So my dad decided to come back from Vancouver and take over, but he had absolutely no eye training whatsoever,91裸聊视频� explains Jason. 91裸聊视频淟uckily, he was a smart accountant and that helped with the business aspect and he learned eyes on the go.91裸聊视频�

For Jason, who never met his grandfather, hearing stories about him from their oldest patients is always a treat.

91裸聊视频淗e passed away when my dad was young so it91裸聊视频檚 neat to hear some of those stories of how business was done in the 50s and 60s,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淸Clients] used to come to pick up their glasses and sometimes have a drink, have a scotch 91裸聊视频� a Mad Men sort of thing. It was definitely a different era.91裸聊视频�

It91裸聊视频檚 not the only way Maycock Eyecare, which used to primarily sell glasses, has changed over the years. At one point, Jason91裸聊视频檚 parents had five locations, but he says it was always a challenge to get people as invested in the business as they were, so those locations were franchised and sold off. Now, with one large downtown location, they91裸聊视频檝e expanded to include 10 staff members and two additional optometrists to meet growing demand.

91裸聊视频淥ur employees are essential to the business and some of them have been with Jason since he started his practice,91裸聊视频� Carrie says. 91裸聊视频淕etting the right staff is critical and we really believe in education, which is why we take them to conferences where they91裸聊视频檙e exposed to the newest trends. It91裸聊视频檚 engaging and it gets them excited, and then they come back and pass that on to the clients.91裸聊视频�

But by far, the biggest change over the decades has been the technological advances.

91裸聊视频淲hen it comes to eye exams, it91裸聊视频檚 totally high-tech, and we have a real focus on technology,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淣ot only do we get an image of the eye, we ultrasound the eye and get into the layers of the retina to see disease like we91裸聊视频檝e never been able to before. For things like macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Canada, anything we can do to detect it quicker and have a better outcome is important.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e pride ourselves on having the best diagnostics and equipment,91裸聊视频� Carrie adds. 91裸聊视频淚t can be expensive, but we feel it91裸聊视频檚 critical to patient care.91裸聊视频�

Another thing critical to the Maycocks success was the purchase of their Blanshard Street location, which was taken down to the studs and totally renovated in 2010 to create the perfect space for both eye wear and eye care.

91裸聊视频淢oving to this building was very beneficial for my parents and also for us because it91裸聊视频檚 set us up for the future and for success. It91裸聊视频檚 their legacy but it91裸聊视频檚 also their retirement package that we91裸聊视频檙e paying for,91裸聊视频� laughs Jason. 91裸聊视频淚t worked out well for everyone.91裸聊视频�

The couple says they91裸聊视频檙e constantly looking at ways they can build on that success and make improvements.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e both really self-reflective and analytical and I91裸聊视频檓 always evaluating things 91裸聊视频� I think it comes from my nursing background,91裸聊视频� Carrie says. 91裸聊视频淚 look at the whole picture and the base causes of things, so I91裸聊视频檓 always looking at how we91裸聊视频檙e doing and how we could do things better. That91裸聊视频檚 just part of my DNA.91裸聊视频�

As they continue to grow the business, Jason says he knows how lucky they are to own a respected Victoria business, but he says his dad recently reminded him that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

91裸聊视频淚 was very lucky to have this to come back to and to build on it,91裸聊视频� Jason says. 91裸聊视频淥ver the last three years, we91裸聊视频檝e been lucky, but we91裸聊视频檝e tried to work hard to make that luck happen. We know how hard we work, we saw how hard they worked, and we couldn91裸聊视频檛 have got it to where it is now without that.91裸聊视频�

Maycock Optical91裸聊视频檚 website .