Art-Craft Optical acquires safety glass frames manufacturer

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Art-Craft Optical Co. Inc. has acquired a Las Vegas-based manufacturer of safety glass frames for an undisclosed amount.

Hudson Optical Corp. was founded in New York City in 1935 and was named for the street it resided on. Irving Hirschman, his son, Richard, and grandson, Jason, each have had a leading role at the company, which is estimated to generate $1 million in annual revenues and employs roughly 10 people at the location.

“They did all kinds of eyewear back in the day,” said Art-Craft Vice President Charlie Eagle. “Over time as the U.S. manufacturers kept going out of business, they moved into the safety part and they’ve been there since the 70s. Of the safety players historically, them and Honeywell were the big players in safety (glasses).”

Much of the Hudson Optical product is imported from Asia, Eagle noted, so the frames have a more European or modern feel to them. In addition, Hudson offers frames that are universal fit, meaning that the company makes frames for larger or smaller heads, flat or full noses. The company spent years developing the market segment for all types of safety glasses.

“Since we have multiple lines in different areas of the business, it’s a bit more challenging for us to spend that much time and try to hit the market areas that we may not have representation in,” Eagle said of the multitude of products Art-Craft offers in addition to safety frames. “From that standpoint, it gives us the ability to appeal to a larger audience that would take us a long time to get there on our own. They tend to have much more of a European or little more modern feel, whereas ours are more classic.”

That means Art-Craft may now appeal to customers in Europe and Canada, who may want a frame with more flair.

“Hudson’s product line allows us the opportunity to develop some of those markets that maybe our products wouldn’t have been as appealing to,” Eagle added.

Art-Craft was founded in the second decade of the 20th century, when Eagle’s Swiss toolmaker grandfather, Charles Joseph Eagle, repaired tools and equipment from optical companies such as Bausch & Lomb Inc. and Shuron Ltd. He drove a motorcycle with a sidecar around town picking up the tools, fixing them in his garage and returning them to the companies.

When he outgrew his garage he moved to a building on Water Street. When World War I began, Art-Craft was asked to manufacture eyewear for the U.S. Army. From Water Street, the company moved into the former Pullman Building, a seven-story structure on Plymouth Avenue that is the current home of Buckingham Commons. In 2000 the company moved to its current home on Goodway Drive in Henrietta.

For more than a century, Art-Craft has manufactured dress eyewear such as the parametric 3, a round frame that became popular in the 1930s. The military was particularly fond of the Art-Craft frames, as the round shape fit different lens prescriptions and they were designed to fit well under gas masks.

The company now has some 50 staffers, though Eagle expects that to grow. Hudson Optical had perhaps 4,000 to 5,000 customers, but for Art-Craft that essentially means the company will pick up some 30 new, larger customers with the acquisition.

“But it will allow us to get deeper picks into the same customers,” Eagle said, referring to the ability to offer a wider selection to existing and new customers. “The big barrier for most of these guys and gals that are doing the safety programs (at companies) is, how many vendors do they need. You don’t need to have 10 vendors to do safety frames — one, maybe two. From that standpoint, I had people who said I would love to bring on the Art-Craft line but I already have two vendors and I’m not sure I want to pick up a third.

“At the end of the day, we can go back to our customers and (Hudson’s) customers and say I know you wanted to use our product but you had Hudson. Now you have the opportunity to use both lines and grow your own program,” he added.

The acquisition is expected to close on Dec. 1, Eagle said.

Art-Craft in recent months also has been developing and working on a program with the U.S. Navy and Air Force for new product lines, which Eagle said are now going to market. During the summer, Art-Craft had teams of Navy and Air Force engineers in its factory, working with the Art-Craft team on production elements of the collaboration.

“That’s been pretty exciting. It’s really pushed us to elevate our game,” Eagle said. “When you get used to doing something you’ve done for many years, it’s nice to try something different because you’ve got to exercise muscle that you haven’t used in a while.”

The company also has acquired new equipment, which means its current location is pretty full at the moment. So Eagle is looking for new space to transition some of Art-Craft’s shipping and receiving, as well as customer service. The plan is to continue to use the current space for added manufacturing capability.

“We’ve got some programs coming along that I think are pretty exciting that we’re hoping to roll out in Rochester in the spring to introduce us to market segments we haven’t been in in some time, so we are working with a variety of designers to come up with some much more interesting — for many consumers — than the industrial safety segment,” he explained. “We’re looking forward to getting that going.”

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