BUSINESS INSIDER
OPTICIANS
CARL HEARSE-JONES Carl is the trainee dispensing optician at Mark Jones Eye Care. He also happens to be a music producer and a club DJ with several records to his name. Just don’t mention Harry Potter… You are from Southampton we hear, so what brings you to these parts? I moved to Bristol around five years ago when I started work at Mark Jones Eye Care. I now live in Salisbury during the week and in Bristol on weekends. Did you always want to be an optician? I actually always loved music and to do something with that was always at the forefront of my mind, especially in my teenage years. I went on to study music at college and university. What was the path that lead you to Mark Jones Eye Care? After I left university it was a time when graduates were struggling to find work, so Mark, my father, offered me a job and a career in optics and I never looked back. I know how fortunate I am as I’ve got a good relationship with him and we have similar interests. I really enjoy my job and Salisbury is full of amazing people. How have you found the training? I’m just about to take my final exams in June. I have two incredible supervisors in my father Mark, and our manager Sarah, who have taught me everything and supported me all the way through the three years of my course. Does the Mark Jones Eye Care company have a philosophy that shapes its professional approach? One of the most important aspects of our day-to-day work is to ensure our patients leave elated, delighted and inspired. We call it our E.D.I effect and it’s a motto we try and apply to every single one of our patients. Trying to do our best for everyone creates a positive, friendly environment for not only anyone entering our practice, but for the staff too.
HARRY POTTER AND DAME EDNA – THOSE TWO NAMES ARE BANNED IN MARK JONES EYE CARE!
Are there any negative perceptions associated with your work? Harry Potter and Dame Edna – those two names are banned in Mark Jones Eye Care! Everyone always worries they are going to look like either of these two before they put a pair of specs on. However they never do of course. So not mentioning ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ or saying ‘Hello possums!’, what are the fashions for spectacles at the moment? We are definitely still in a retro trend at the moment. We are also finding that the people of Salisbury are more than happy to go for bright, loud and adventurous frames. 52 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
What are your predictions for the field of eye care? From new machines that are revolutionising how we measure your vision and eye health, to iPads that can measure spectacles frames, technology will play a large part in all aspects of this profession. What are the plans for Mark Jones Eye Care? We are planning an expansion into the premises next door to us, as we have currently outgrown ourselves. The extra space will provide us with a more personal, private area to look after our patients, a wider range of frames and extra rooms for more advanced equipment. Hopefully it will be finished this year.
What have been your recent personal, and professional, highlights? On a professional high, I think when I finish my exams on the 20 June this year, will be a big milestone and very important day in my career. Personal highs for me have been getting engaged to my wonderful fiancée, and playing a gig on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. Tell us a little but more about the music side of your life… I’ve been producing and releasing electronic music for more than six years. I have multiple records released on a number of different labels, and have performed in the States, London, Berlin and Glasgow. What’s one thing about you that would surprise people? For people who know me from optics, the fact I am a musical artist/ DJ surprises them. For the people who know me from music, it is that I am a trainee optician. For more: Mark Jones Eye Care, 21 Fisherton Street, Salisbury. tel: 01722 322891; www.markjoneseyecare.com